Attraction and Repulsion
by Vanishing Trooper
Summary: ToukoXKanako Fic! More details inside.
1. Chapter 1

Ok...This is my FIRST Marimite fic...and I just had to use a never before seen pairing...I must like pain...anyhoo...just a little background. This happens after the OVAs meaning before the School Festival so...Sa-Chan and Rei are still in the roster (Nana is not). This will be a "wing-it" fic, meaning I'm just making this up as I go along (Seriously!). For some reason, that works for me...anyhoo, Let's get this started!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything on this fic that can be used against me in a court of law. (I love the universal disclaimer 3)

It was lunchtime in Lilian. Matsudaira Touko and Noriko Nijô were eating lunch on one of that many benches in the Lilian campus. The fact that they were not in the Rose Mansion today is a rare occurence indeed.

"I can't believe that...that...DEMPA got the same gift from Yumi-sama that I did! Yumi-sama is too nice it's so irritating. And why Hosokawa of all people?!" The drill-haired girl said while gripping her chopsticks in a maner that one would think that they might break at any moment.

The girl beside her only nodded in agreement lest she wanted a piece of Touko's wrath as well. This has been almost clockwork whenever they are together. Touko greets Noriko. Touko participates in idle small talk for a few minutes. Touko immediately complains about Kanako. Touko complains about ANYTHING Kanako. From the way she walks, to the way she puts her shoes on, to the way she reads out loud in class.

"Noriko? Noriko? Noriko!" Touko yelled at her companion.

"Wha? What is it Touko?" Noriko asks as she regains control from autopilot.

"You're not even listening anymore...I was talking about Hosakawa's stupid face when she got her gift from Yumi-sama. Honestly! It's just a pen! Get over it!"

Noriko was getting tired of being Touko's complaint table and finally decided to speak up.

"Touko...You don't even notice dont you?" She puts down her chopsticks and closes her now empty lunchbox. (Yeah...she ate lunch on autopilot.)

"Notice what?" Touko raised a brow while finishing up the remainder of her lunch.

"Well...Complaints aside...Haven't you noticed that all you ever talk about these days is...Hosakawa Kanako?" Noriko calmly states as she fixes up her lunchbox for the trip back to the classroom.

It takes a few moments for Touko to digest what her friend just said to her dropping a poor octopus shaped hotdog in her chopsticks in the process. But before she could reply...or should I say...Object to Noriko the bells ring signaling the end of lunchbreak.

As they went on their way back to the classroom, Touko spots Kanako walking towards the entrance of the classroom. Hosokawa Kanako, the bane of Touko's highschool life. The only person who she just can't seem to get along with. The person who's trying to get the attention and time of Yumi-sama. The person she hates the most in the whole world. But as Touko went down the list of why she hates Kanako so much, she feels as gentle nudge at her side.

"Hey Touko..." It was Noriko.

"Huh? What is it?" Touko comes back to reality.

"Keep staring and she might catch in fire." Noriko says giving an impassive look.

_Staring?_

_Staring at who?_

_Who would I be staring at?_

It was at that moment that Touko finally realized what Noriko was talking about.

"I was staring...at Hosokawa?" Touko whispers to herself as a sinking feeling overcomes her.

...

Touko was pretty much out of it during afternoon classes, for obvious reasons. Noriko pointed out a couple of things that made her brain stall.

_I can't stop talking about Hosokawa?_

_I can't stop staring at Hosokawa?_

_Wait...Why am I bothered by this so much? And...why am I thinking of her again?!_

Touko slammed her head on her desk in defeat. What was wrong with her? She wasn't like this before.

"Matsudaira-san?" Her teacher tried to get her attention.

Touko raises her head to look at her teacher but puts it back down soon afterwards. She was pretty messed up at this point.

"Are you not feeling well Matsudaira-san? Do you want to go to the Nurse's Office?" Her teacher asks, worried about her student.

Touko does not answer. After a few moments Noriko stood up and volunteered to take Touko to the Nurse.

"...Thank you." The Drill-haired girl whispers to her friend.

Noriko simply smiles and leads Touko out of the classroom. Their classmates begin to whisper amongst themselves trying to figure out what happened but their teacher quickly quieted them down. All through that drama, Kanako simply stole a glance at Touko, squinted a bit, and faced the chalkboard again. Classic Kanako.

Touko was lying on one of the beds in the Nurse's office with Noriko by her side. Touko was very thankful to have a friend like Noriko with her right now.

"I'd better head back now...will you be alright by yourself?" Noriko asks her friend.

Touko raised an eyebrow at the question.

"Of course! I'm just a little tired that's all. I'm not a little kid you know."

Noriko smiles at her friend and leaves the room. She knows that if Touko can talk like that again then she'll be just fine.

Touko's thoughts started swirling in her head again. Still unable to keep up with all that has happened to her that day. Then her thoughts once again strayed to Hosokawa Kanako. The moment that happened Touko covered her eyes with her right arm and sighed.

"This is NOT helping...I need to clear my head first." She huffs as she falls asleep.

...

School has ended in Lilian and the student as abuzz at anticipation for the upcomming festival. It was rumored that the Yamayurikai will once again perform a join play with the Hanadera Boys School.

Among the many student making their way home, there was one who didn't follow the flow. Instead of going to the gate, this student was headed to another building, the Rose Mansion.

Awaiting that student were two others, one was Rosa Foetida En Bouton Yoshino Shimazu, and the other, Rosa Gigantea Toudo Shimako.

"Your late! And we're even in the same class!" The braided girl said.

"Sorry Yoshino-chan...I had to ask the teacher about some of the problems that were given to us." The student replies.

"That's alright Yumi-san. We just arrived ourselves. Shall we go inside?" Shimako asks with a smile.

Yumi nods her head and enters the Rose Mansion with her friends, eager to see her _Onee-Sama_.

...

As the three enter the meeting room they see the rest of the Yamayurikai waitng for them. Sachiko and Rei were going over some paperwork for the school festival while Noriko was preparing tea.

"Gokigenyo..." The three girls by the door greet their fellow roses.

Sachiko and Rei stopped for a moment and greeted their soeurs and Shimako. Noriko also greeted them, though she didn't face them as she was busy preparing tea.

"Are those the shop and activity proposals for the festival?" Shimako asks the other two roses.

"Yes...most of it is the standard stuff. Food stands, Cafes, Haunted houses..." Rei replies while looking at some more proposals.

"Haunted houses?" Yumi says in puzzlement, her face once again reflecting her emotions.

"Yes...It would seem that the girls in the first year Wisteria class would like to make one...though I can't see the purpose of such a thing." Sachiko replies to her soeur.

The rest of the afternoon went on like that for the Yamayurikai. Most of the meeting was about the selection of which shops and activites will be allowed to happen during the festival. At the end of the meeting they talked about the upcomming play that they will put on.

"Have you heard anything from Yuuki-san?" Sachiko asks Yumi.

"Well, he said that he'll talk about it with the others during their next meeting. He says that they will give me an answer by the end of the week." Yumi explains while putting her finger under her chin.

"I'm pretty sure that they'll help. Afterall...they owe us for THEIR festival." Yoshino pointed out.

Indeed, the events during "The Battle of Hanadera" were certainly _memorable_ in more ways than one. As they were finishing up another day, Yumi notices something.

"Hey Noriko-chan...where's Touko-chan?" Yumi asks Noriko.

"Oh...she wasn't feeling well this afternoon and spent most of it in the Nurse's Office...I think she already went home." Noriko replies.

Yumi wore an obviously worried look. In fact, when she thought about it, Kanako didn't show up as well. Touko had a reason for not being there. But Kanako promised that she'll help during the production of the play so she should have shown up.

"I wonder what's wrong with those two? Maybe I'll talk to them the next time I see them." Yumi tells herself before going out the door to join her waiting Onee-sama.

...

There's the 1st installment! Please R&R! 3


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Marimite!

Another day arrives to Lilian, and another day closer to the anicipated school festival

Another day arrives to Lilian, and another day closer to the anicipated school festival. The preparations for the joint play between the Yamayurikai and the Hanadera studen council have already begun. It turned out the they will perform "Torikaebaya Monogatari" but with a twist! The story originally required a brother and sister who would swap roles, meaning the girl would be the boy and vice versa. Obviously the only ones who are qualified to do those roles were the Fukuzawa siblings (much to their dismay). But it gets better. During the initial costume fittings, mainly due to Alice, Sachiko had the bright idea to swap EVERYONES roles. All the males will do the female roles and vice versa. Unfortunately, that didn't help the Fukuzawa siblings one bit.

"And that should do it!" A gleefull member of the costume team said as she finished up the modifications for Kanako's male costume.

To be fair, Kanako did look good in her costume. She looked rather...Dashing in it. At least to one girl she was. That girl was even stealing glances at her. That girl...Was Matsudaira Touko.

"Touko-chan? Touko-chan?" The girl who was fixing up Touko's costume was having trouble adjusting with Touko shifting her body every now and then.

"What?" The drill-haired girl finally took notice.

"Do you mind? I need you to stay still for a while." The other girl pleaded.

"Oh...sorry about that. Please continue." Touko said before stealing one last look at Kanako.

_She does look good in that..._

_..._

A few days earlier

Classes have ended and most of the students were getting ready to go home. Touko was still feeling down from all that happened yesterday but managed to hide it well from her classmates...From Kanako. After a while one of her classmates called to her.

"Matsudaira-san! Rosa Chinensis En Bouton wishes to speak to you."

Touko widened her eyes as she saw Yumi by the door of her classroom waving at her like they haven't seen each other in ages.

_Why does she always have to act like that?_ Touko wondered while fixing the things in her bag and heading to where Yumi was.

Kanako was already fully aware that Yumi was there even before her classmate called for Touko. She sharpened her gaze at her rival who was headed for Yumi. She never understood why Yumi had to be so nice to everyone, even if they didn't deserve it. But she respected Yumi very much, and she had to put up with that fact that today she wanted Touko's attention and not hers.

_..._

Touko followed Yumi for what seemed like an eternity. She was wondering what the normally expressive En Bouton was being so quiet. It irritated her. Yet, a lot more things have been irritating her lately.

Touko didn't notice that Yumi had already stopped and bumped into the older girl.

"Ow! Touko-chan...You should watch where your going." Yumi meekly said.

"Well you shouldn't have stopped so suddenly Yumi-sama. Where are we?" Touko asks as she surveyed the area.

They were outside a familliar chapel. The chapel where they had the welcoming ceremony of the first years. Touko once again placed her gaze upon Yumi who now had a somewhat worried look.

"Is there something wrong Yumi-sama?" Touko apprehensively asks. Not that she was complaining about the attention she was getting from Yumi. But she did have an image to protect.

"How are you feeling Touko-chan?" Yumi asks with the same worried look.

"How am I feeling? What do you mean?" Touko was puzzled.

"Umm...You didn't show up to the meeting yesterday and Noriko said that you were in the Nurse's Office during the afternoon." Yumi replies.

Touko shifted her gaze to the stone steps they were on. She had wanted to forget the whole thing alltogether but it just had to be brought up again. But Yumi-sama of all people.

_The one person...Well...one of the people who I didn't want to know about that._

"Touko-chan?" Yumi said with a worried tone while trying to reach out to her.

"I'm...fine Yumi-sama." Touko finally says without raising her head.

Yumi gives up on reaching for Touko and looks at the stone steps as well.

"No your not...even I can see that." Yumi says.

It was silent for a while. Nothing could be heard except for the rustling of leaves and the occasional breeze. Touko wanted to talk about it. But the words would not come out. It would have been alright if it had been Noriko who was talking to her, but not Yumi. She was scared of what Yumi might think if she told her what Noriko pointed out to her yesterday. That she had unconsiously been talking about and staring at Kanako. Even Touko herself was not sure of what to make of the whole thing.

"I'm sorry..." The silence finally broke. But not by Touko.

"I'm sorry Touko-chan. I should have known better than to pry into your personal bussiness." Yumi apologized.

Touko finally raised her head and saw Yumi with a pained expression. Touko coudn't believe it. Yumi was probably the only person on earth who would willingly say sorry for doing nothing wrong except worry too much.

"Jeez...why are you always like this. Apologizing for everything." Touko said. For all the stupid things she had seen Yumi do. Yumi did have a sort of charm that makes people around her more comfortable, even at her own expence.

"Touko-chan?" Yumi was still not sure of Touko's reaction just now.

"It's about Hosokawa..." Touko finally said.

_I guess it's not so bad...Talking about it with Yumi-sama._

"Kanako-chan? Did you two have another fight? Is it about the gifts I gave you two from the class trip? I knew I should have bought something different for each of you..." Yumi frantically said. She always did find a way to make it seem that EVERYTHING was her fault.

"No...it's not about that. Though it might be one of the reasons." Touko was playing with one of her pigtails.

With a heavy sigh she tells Yumi about the events of yesterday. Yumi had one of her 'ZOMG' faces as she listens to Touko's story. She was having a hard time understanding the figurative bomb that had just been laid on her.

"Touko-chan...and Kanako-chan?" Yumi said as she struggles with the information.

At the mention of their names together, Touko immediately blushed and interjected.

"It's not like that Yumi-sama!" Touko adamantly said.

"Then what is it? From what I understand, you are..." Yumi thought very carefully about what to say next. "...Attracted to Kanako-chan right?" Way to go Yumi...at least she didn't say ''Inlove".

Touko was now showng shades of red that few people have thought possible. The poor girl probably had a third of her blood in her face right now.

"Does Kanako know about it?" Yumi calmly asks. Amazing how she can change gears like that.

"NO! No way!" Touko violently shook her head seemingly 'Yumi-like'.

"Why not? You should tell her you know." Yumi says.

"What are you saying Yumi-sama?! I have spent half a year hating her and now you want me to tell her that I like her?!" Touko blushed even more when she realized what she just said.

Touko saw Yumi start to giggle.

"What is it now?!" Touko was starting to panic. Why is SHE the one who was acting like Yumi?!

"It's just that...I never said anything about 'Liking' her. I meant that you should tell her that you don't really hate her. But if that's what you really want to say then..." Yumi purposely let her words trail off. She was becoming more like Youko even if she didn't realize it herself.

Touko hung her head in defeat. And the one who finished her off...Was Yumi. This was a really bad week for her.

_..._

Touko was very thankfull that Yumi was too busy with her own problems to notice that she was stealing glances at Kanako.

_Yumi-sama can keep her mouth shut pretty well...It's her face I'm worried about._ Touko thought to herself while her fitting was being finished. Being in the Drama Club, she was used to the sometimes long periods of having to adjust costumes to fit perfectly for an actor...or actress.

"Done!" The girl who was doing her costume said. The cheerful declaration of the girl managed to get Touko out of her trance and she began to inspect herself.

All things considered, Touko can pull off a pretty good 'man'. Not that it's something that she should be proud of. Touko then heard the gigglings of her schoolmates and shifted her gaze to the cause...The Elite Student Council of Hanadera Academy.

The ones getting the most attention were Yuuki and Alice (much to the gratitude of the remaining members.) Yuuki was wearing whay was supposed to be Yumi's Kimono, It was times like this that Yuuki hated looking so much like her older sister because he was the spitting image of Yumi and the girls very much realize that. Alice on the other hand was on cloud nine. Not only was he able to be in a play with the Yamayurikai, but he would also be playing as a girl...This was probably one of the happiest days of his life.

"Wow Yumi-sama.!" One of the girls was actually reffering to YUUKI "You look absolutely wonderful in that outfit!" A round of laughter could be heard soon afterwards. Poor Yuuki...

Yumi could only watch as her schoolmates destroyed whatever self-esteem her brother had left in him.

"I'm really sorry about this Yuuki..." She whispered.

Suddenly...During the rounds of laughter in the fitting room...A loud stomp was heard.

"That is quite enough!" The source of this sudden outburst. Sachiko Mk.II...err...I mean Kanako. She tried her best to control herself whil in the same room with so many men but when she saw Yuuki in his costume she pretty much passed her limit. She couldn't allow the fact that Yuuki...a man...would pass off as her Yumi-sama, that was something that made her absolutely sick.

Everyone in the room was now staring at Kanako as if waiting for her to make the next move. Even the guys from Hanadera were on the defensive. Kanako saw what her outburst had done and she knew that she had crossed a line. Sachiko started to approach her, obviously wanting to say something to the tall girl, but before she could say anything...

"I'm very sorry. Please excuse me." Kanako said with a passive yet slightly pained face before leaving the room while still wearing her costume.

Touko immediately wanted to go after her but she knew...She was the LAST person Kanako would have wanted to talk to at the moment. That fact saddened her. Because she knew that half a year's worth of animosity won't simply go away not matter how much you wanted it to. Touko herself was still had lingering feelings of dislike for the taller girl but she simply dismissed it as something like a bad habit.

Yumi was the first person to do anything after Kanako left. She turned to Sachiko and Sachiko smiled at her, the two of them didn't need words to know what needed to be done. Sachiko knew that the only one who could reach out to Kanako now was Yumi. Yumi immediately headed for the door but stopped when she saw Touko. Yumi was the only one save for Noriko who knew about Touko's recent troubling revalations. Touko looked at Yumi for a few seconds before looking away but not before she saw Yumi smiling at her. Touko could vaguely interpret that smile. It was along the lines of...

_Don't worry...I'll bring her back. I promise._

There were few people who were sharp enough too see that little exchange that Yumi had with Touko. Shimako and Noriko were among them, but knew that they didn't yet need to interfere with the situation whatever it may be. The only other person who was sharp enough to notice was Rosa Chinensis Ogasawara Sachiko and she wasn't as reserved as Noriko and Shimako were. Sachiko knew that something was up, and it had something to do with Yumi, Touko, and Kanako. There was no way that Kanako would talk to her about it, and she didn't want to pressure Yumi into talking, that only leaves...Touko. Sachiko now had a reason to have a little chat with Touko, but not now, after things have settled down. She knew when things are delicate, and this situation was most certainly delicate.

_..._

Bringing Kanako back WAS the general plan of Yumi. She just didn't take into account how fast Kanako was, or that she didn't know where Kanako hides when she wanted privacy. Yumi then realized to little she knew...understood...Kanako. But worrying was the last thing she needed to do right now. She had to find Kanako...for Kanako's sake...and for Touko's as well. Yumi stopped to think. Where would she go to if she was Kanako? Where does ANYONE go when something emotional happened to them?

"The greenhouse!" Yumi said to herself.

_..._

"Disgusting!" Kanako was reffering to herself. She hated men, despised them with a passion. And being forced to act like one in a play was the ultimate insult for her.

But before Kanako could wallow in self-hate any further, she heard the door open. She was greeted with a welcomed sight.

"Yumi-sama..." Kanako said with a hint of relief in her voice.

Huff!Huff! "So this is where you were...I was looking everywhere for you." Yumi said in an exhausted voice.

Kanako waited for Yumi to catch her breath before talking any further.

"Why?...Why did you suddenly run out like that...Kanako-chan?" Yumi said, still having trouble with her breathing.

Kanako thought long and hard for a response...She didn't want to make Yumi sad by insulting her brother...but...

"It was because of...that sickening creature that was wearing YOUR costume." So much for not insulting her brother.

"Yuuki?" Yumi asked.

"Yes...the fact that people would accept him as a likeness of you is simply..." Kanako stopped herself. She knew that she would just keep adding venom to her words if she kept talking like that. She turned her back from Yumi, not wanting Yumi to see her like this.

Yumi walked slowly towards Kanako. She knew that Kanako was hurting...Just not this badly. Was it really that bad for her to see Yuuki like that. Then again, she knew the keen resemblance between them.

"I don't want this...This is too much for me Yumi-sama." Kanako pleaded. A faint sob could be heard afterwards.

"Kanako-chan..." Yumi put her hand on Kanako's shoulder and turned the girl around. She was weeping...was it really that bad? Yumi couldn't comprehend why Kanako was hurting so much...and it bothered her.

"Yumi-sama..." The taller girl lowered herself to Yumi's shoulder and continued crying. It was the only thing that she could do at the moment.

Yumi wrapped her arms around the tall girl and started comforting her. She knew that this was what Kanako needed...That this was the best...the only thing that she could do for this girl.

However, unknown to either of them, someone was outside witness to what was happening. It was Touko. She saw Kanako crying, how she reached out desperately for Yumi, and she felt a sharp pain in her chest...It was a feeling she never wanted to have...But she knew that this was the final proof of what she was fearing. She wanted to be in Yumi's place. She wanted the one to comfort Kanako when she was crying. She wanted to be the one that Kanako reached out to when she needed comfort. She knew what this feeling was...and she bit her bottom lip at that realization. Clouds could be seen forming in the sky...It looked like rain.

_..._

DUNDUNDUN!! R&R Please...3


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own an Iron Man suit...oh yeah...I don't own marimite either.

It was Sunday and everyone got some downtime from the school festival preparations

It was Sunday and everyone got some downtime from the school festival preparations. Touko was spending her Sunday rotting away in her room, sighing every few moments...I'll give you one guess why. Another sigh echoed throughout Touko's room. The poor girl hasn't been able to focus on anything since the incident in the greenhouse. Her confusion is quite understandable, it's not everyday you realize that you were actually inlove with the person you considered as your worse enemy.

Before Touko could produce another sigh there was a knock on the door.

"Touko-sama...There is a visitor for you." It was one of the maids.

"Tell them I don't want to see anyone right now." Touko tightly hugged one of her large pillows.

"But Touko-sam--" The poor maid never got to finish.

"I SAID NO!!" Touko yelled. She could probably be heard throughout the house.

...

The maid made her way back to where the guest was a bit shaken from what happened.

"I'm very sorry but Touko-sama does not want to see any visitors right now." The maid said to the guest who just stood up.

"It's alright...I'll go there myself. She'll change her mind once she knows who I am." The guest was in fact Ogasawara Sachiko. She smiled at the maid but deep inside she was all bussiness. She wanted to know what exactly was going on with Touko, Yumi, and Kanako. Sachiko did not like being left out of the loop.

...

Touko was once again in the cold lonely darkness of her room (She didn't bother openning up the curtains) and was neaty spiraling into despair. But suddenly there was once again a knock on the door.

"I thought I said that I didn't wasnt any visitors!!" Touko yelled once again.

"And I never thought that you would ever yell at me Touko." Sachiko said in a very stern tone.

"Sa--Sachiko-Oneesama?!" Touko nearly fell off her bed when she heard Sachiko's voice.

Touko immediately made her wayto the door, though stumbling every now and then because her room was still pretty dark. Doesn't she remind you of someone?

When Touko finally managed to open the door she was greeted with a sight that was both welcomed and at the same time dreaded. On one hand, She was happy that Sachiko went through all the trouble to see her. On the other hand, she had a serious face on...meaning she probably already had some idea on what's been happening with her recently.

Sachiko made her way inside Touko's room and opened up the curtains, unlike Touko, Sachiko had the reflexes of a cat when she's really serious (Years of ballet will do that to someone).

"Honestly! I never expected that you would be so sloppy with your own room." Sachiko commented on the current state of Touko's room. Do I even need to paint a picture here?

Touko could only hang her head down. She wasn't exactly presentable either. Her hair was undone and was in a mess. Her nightgown was wrinkled in ways that one would think that it was part of a design. She wasn't even wearing and slippers. Touko simply stood there, silent. She didn't know what to say. She was terrified right now. Sachiko would probably chew her out if she finds out about her feelings for Kanako. So she just stood there...

Sachiko noticed Touko's silence and overall mannerism and sat on Touko's bed. She motioned Touko to sit next to her, Sachiko's expression was now less...intimidating.

Touko slowly made her way to her bed, still a bit apprehensive with Sachiko being there. She finally sat down but kept a distancee from Sachiko. Never in Touko's wildest dreams did she ever think of an occasion where she wanted to get AWAY from Sachiko...but life has a lot of ways of surprising you.

"I won't be able to help you if you just stay silent like that...Talk to me Touko-chan." Sachiko said in a comforting tone. Hoping that it might help get Touko out of her shell.

Touko looked at Sachiko...Tears were starting to form in her eyes.

"Oh Touko-chan..." Sachiko finnaly confirmed that something was really hurting Touko.

"I'm scared Sachiko-oneesama...I don't know what to do..." Touko said while roughly wiping her tears with her palms.

Sachiko stopped Touko and wiped her tears with her handkerchief. She smiled at Touko and went on her Onee-sama mode.

"You don't have to be scared of anything now Touko-chan. It's just the two of us here. Now tell me what's wrong?"

"That's exactly what's scaring me...I don't know how you will react if I tell you..." Touko said after a sniffle.

"Tell me what Touko-chan?" Sachiko asked.

"I'm inlove...with..." Touko gave out her last sigh of the day "Hosokawa Kanako..."

Sachiko's eyes widened at what Touko just said.

...

At the same time, Yumi was sitting on a bench in a park somewhere. She was currently spacing out and didn't notice another person walking towards her.

"Yumi-chan?" The person asked.

"Wha!" Yumi jumped up. Much to the delight of the person next to her.

"My...at least you haven't changed" The person said while holding down a laugh.

"Mou! Anyway...thank you very much for comming here, I know that you are very busy but I don't really know who else to turn to..." Yumi bowed to the other person.

"That's not a problem...I told you that I would help you whenever I could. You were just lucky that I was free today. Maybe it's fate?" The person said with a giggle.

"Maybe...thank you again for comming to see me...Youko-sama"

…

The next day, Kanako was making her way to her classroom. She talked with Yumi and they reached a mutual agreement. Kanako would continue to help with the play though if she feels that there is too much "Male presence" she is allowed to take a fifteen minute break to get her bearings together again. Yumi even went as far as agreeing to go with her to ease some of the stress. Needless to say, Kanako was very happy that Yumi was thinking so much about her well being. Their little moment in the greenhouse made an even bigger Yumi fan out of Kanako so much so that she was second guessing her dropping out of the running for Yumi's Petit Soeur.

As she went inside the classroom and made her way to her seat she overheard some of her classmates discussing about something.

"So she's not comming to school today Nijo-san?" One of her classmates was asking Noriko.

Noriko shook her head and replied.

"She said that she was not feeling well. But she should be back soon enough." Noriko reassured her classmates.

Kanako could hear her classmates sigh in relief.

"That's good. I couldn't imagine the Plays of the Drama Club and the Yamayurikai without Matsudaira-san" Another classmate said.

_Matsudaira was the one they were talking about?_

Kanako quickly dimissed the thought. Afterall, why should she care what happens to that annoying girl...Always getting in her face and taking the attention of Yumi,

Just thinking about Touko made Kanako subconsiously grimace (yeah...she REALLY dislikes Touko). Her face did not escape the eyes of her classmates.

"Are you alright Hosokawa-san?" One of her classmates asked her and snapping her out of her 'How to make Touko suffer' mental list.

Kanako looked at her classmate with a face of stone.

"I'm fine...simply remembering something a bit unpleasant is all." Kanako said.

"Oh...well that's goo--" It was at that moment that their teacher entered the room and started class.

...

"So Touko-chan told you about her situation huh?" Yumi asked Sachiko. They were currently having lunch at the Rose Mansion by themselves.

"Yes. I went to confront her yesterday about why she was acting so strange for the past few days..." Sachiko said as she ate her lunch with surgical skill.

_Confront? I hope she didn't do anything drastic..._ Yumi thought to herself while staring at her Onee-sama.

"So..." Yumi said while poking at her lunch "what did you do after you found out."

Sachiko raised her right hand telling Yumi to wait since she was still chewing (surgical skill).

"Of course I asked her how that was possible since they were usually at each other's throats." It would appear that Sachiko doesn't watch as much anime as the rest of japan.

Yumi was thinking the same thing. She was familiar with the concept of _Tsundere_ but she never thought that she would actually see a real life example of it.

"Well...I tried to ask some advice from someone about how to deal with what's been happening..." Yumi said as she ate some rice.

"Advice? From who? Your Mother" Sachiko raised her eyebrow.

"No...from Youko-sama." Yumi said it so naturally it was almost like they meet on a regular basis.

"Onee-sama? You met with Onee-sama?" Sachiko was surprised that Yumi would go so far as to seek outside help and even more surprised to find out that the outside help was Mizuno Youko.

"Yes...I told her about the situation and asked her on the best way to get Touko-chan and Kanako-chan closer to each other...to at least dissolve Kanako's hate for Touko-chan" Yumi said with a worried face.

"And...?" Contrary to what her perfectly calm face shows, she was actually anxious to hear what her Onee-sama had to say in the matter.

"She said that subtlety is the key. To set up situations where they could bond without making to seem that they were forced together...Of course, that's much easier said than done." Yumi let out a sigh. Youko gave her a starting point, but the rest of the way seemed very hard.

Sachiko was silent after whaty Yumi said. And for the rest of the lunch break she didn't say anything until when they were headed back to the school building. Sachiko suddenly stopped and got Yumi's attention.

"Onee-sama?" Yumi asks.

"I think I may have an idea." Sachiko said with a faint smile.

"Eeeehh?!" Yumi exclaimed.

...

After classes were done, the Hanadera Student Council came over once again for practice for the play. For some strange reason, Yuuki seemed rather depressed.

Everyone except for Touko who was absent were now doing practices in the gym. The Fukuzawa siblings were thankfull that they didn't need to wear costumes. For the most part, the practice went smoothly aside from some line screwups by some of the characters (Fukuzaka Siblings).

Kanako didn't need to go outside to refresh herself since the gym was pretty big and there was plenty of space to avoid the boys, though Yumi did come over to check on her much to the delight of Kanako.

After the practice, Noriko, Yoshino and Shimako escorted the gentlemen from Hanadera to the gate. Rei coordiated the cleanup of the gym since they needed to assemble some of the props and set there as well.

Yumi had asked Kanako to meet her in ther greenhouse, saying that she had something to discuss about.

Kanako made her way to the greenhouse, the gentle autumn breeze blew past her. When she arrived she saw Yumi waiting for her...and beside her...

"Rosa Chinensis..." Kanako softly said. Her experiences with Sachiko were less than desirable. All things considered, she was intimidated at Sachiko. How Yumi seemed to get along so well with her, Kanako might never understand.

"Kanako-chan!" Yumi excitedly said.

Kanako's smile when she heard her name said by Yumi quickly vanished as Sachiko stepped forward and placed a hand on Kanako's shoulder. Sachiko smiled at Kanako which made the tall girl wince a bit.

"Hosokawa-san...I need a favor..."

…

DUNDUNDUUUUUNNN! Please R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

Fast Update is Fast and Updated!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Marimite...but alas...I do not.

_I need a favor._

Because of those words and the conversation that followed Hosokawa Kanako is now in a very unique situation. She finds herself being driven to the house of Rosa Chinensis Ogasawara Sachiko. Why? Because Yumi begged Kanako to help her with her lines for the play which was comming fast.

"You see Hosokawa-san. The festival is drawing near and we are...less than prepared for the play." Sachiko said as she removed her hand from Kanako's shoulder and walked to Yumi's side.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Kanako asked.

This time, Yumi was the one who stepped forward and disabled all of Kanako's defences with a smile.

"Well...to be honest, I'm really not confident that I can pull off this performance so I asked Onee-sama if I could have some extra practice time for my lines but there's a small problem." Yumi said the last part while giving one of her 'Defeated looks'.

"A problem?" Kanako tried her best to remain calm even with the close proximity with Yumi.

"Yes...the problem is that I don't have anyone to practice my lines with. Onee-sama is busy with other preparations for the festival and so are the rest of the Yamayurikai." Once again...Defeated look.

"What about your...brother..." Even mentioning things about men seem to put off Kanako.

"Well...Yuuki has his own things to worry about with the Hanadera Student Council and all...So..." Yumi started to twiddle her thumbs.

Kanako pretty much figured out what Yumi wanted to say after she mentioned that she needed extra practice for the play but wanted to confirm it first. After she did, she decided to finish for Yumi.

"You want me to help you with your lines Yumi-sama?" Kanako said, repressing her delight.

After she said that, Yumi's face immediately lit up and she nodded several times.

"Yes! That would be great Kanako-chan...but...aren't you busy with anything?" Yumi asked with concern.

For the first time all day Kanako finally gave a smile and replied.

"Not at all Yumi-sama. When and where should we begin?" Kanako said.

"Ummm...are you free this Sunday? I want to practice as soon as possible."

"Yes...I am not doing anything in particular during Sundays. Will we practice here in school?" Truthfully, Kanako was hoping that Yumi would invite her to Yumi's home.

"...Actually." Yumi said as she turned to Sachiko.

Kanako had a bad feeling as Yumi turned to Sachiko...she was right.

"The practice will be held at MY home Hosokawa-san." Sachiko said with a smile.

"Oh...I see." Kanako flatly said.

"I will send a car to pick you up and you will be taken directly to my house. Is 10 am an acceptable time for you?" Sachiko was now reeling her in.

"Yes...It will be fine." Kanako said.

"Good...aren't you glad that she agreed Yumi-chan?" Sachiko said looking at Yumi.

Sachiko- 1; 1st Years- 0

"I sure am!" Yumi gleefully said. Of course...their last exchange hid a secret meaning for they were glad about something else. Something that Kanako never expected.

...

"What are YOU doing here?!" Kanako exclaimed when she arrived in the reception area for guests.

Who was she yelling at? It was Sachiko's distant cousin Touko.

"A-aa...Ho--Hosoka--ww--a...?!" Yeah...Touko was pretty surprised as well.

Yesterday afternoon...

"And that is why I need you to help Yumi-chan with her acting skills. I want to make this play a success and I need your experience with the Drama Club for it." Sachiko was currently trying to convince Touko to help Yumi with her acting tomorrow. Touko wasn't in the mood but Sachiko was VERY convincing.

"But...why me?" Touko was still trying to put up meager resistance. But you cannot avoid the inevitable...Sachiko made sure of that.

"Because you are the only one who can Touko-chan." Sachiko flashed Touko her best 'Please don't argue and just do it' smile.

"...When...and where...?" Touko was pretty much finished by now.

"Tomorrow...10am...My house...I shall arrange someone to pick you up." Sachiko said.

"Alright..." Touko meekly replied.

Sachiko- 2; 1st years- 0.

...

Kanako was not glaring at Touko and Touko was trying to look away but keeps getting drawn into Kanako's eyes (Even if she WAS glaring at her).

"You haven't answered my question..." Kanako said. Each word laced with venom for her nemesis. Poor Touko...

"Umm..." Touko tried her best to re-ignite her hate for Kanako...with no results "Sachiko Onee-sama asked me to help Yumi-sama with her acting." Touko was quickly shifting her gaze around the room.

"LIES!" Kanako said. Poor Touko...

"Wha...? Well...why are you here?!" Touko gazed directly at Kanako after that. Each one not even blinking...though for different reasons.

"Rosa Chinensis and Yumi-sama asked me directly to help Yumi-sama with her lines for the play." Kanako explained.

"That's not possible!" Touko was now getting fired up "Sachiko Onee-sama spoke to me directly and asked of I could help Yumi-sama with her acting!"

But before the whole thing could break down into an episode of Jerry Springer, Sachiko walked in with Yumi.

"My my...you two are so full of energy aren't you? And in someone else's home no less..." Sachiko said with a subtle yet commanding tone.

Kanako and Touko both stopped on their tracks at Sachiko's words and re-composed themselves.

Sachiko- 3; 1st years- 0.

…

Read a good book about World History and look up The Cold War. It was Russia against the Americans in a stalemate and the main stage was Berlin; Germany. What does this have to do with this fic? I'll paint a picture.

Well, Yumi was standing up practicing her lines with Kanako while Touko was sitting in a chair giving Yumi her critique in acting. But whenever Touko points out something Yumi did wrong Kanako immediately shot Touko a death glare. Instead of getting mad, Touko just blushed and stayed quiet for a few moments before continuing to help Yumi. So, with the current atmosphere in the room.

Russia- Kanako  
America-Touko  
Berlin- Yumi

But unlike in the Cold War, Our America was secretly wanting to get Russia. And Berlin needs to memorize her lines REALLY soon.

...

"That's STILL wrong Yumi-sama!" Touko has had it with Yumi's bad acting. She stood up and approached Yumi, earning her a glare from Kanako as well. Normally these days Touko would blush like crazy when Kanako looks at her (even if it wasn't in a way she liked) but today, as a proud member of the Drama Club, she couldn't stand what Yumi was doing. That's right, at least for now, Touko is back!

"Umm...I'm trying my best Touko-chan..." Yumi said meekly. She knows she sucks right now but Touko didn't have to shove it in her face like that.

"Then your doomed Yumi-sama." Touko said with a commanding tone she usually uses in the drama club (pretty much confirms that Touko and Sachiko are related).

"Doomed...?" Yumi said while her face showed absolute fear.

"Yes...It's one thing embarassing yourself in front of a few people...It's an entirely different thing to embarass yourself in front of a whole audience." Touko said. Indeed, if Yumi acts the way Touko says...let's just say that there will be an openning for Rosa Chinensis next year.

At this point Kanako had just about enough of Touko talking like that to Yumi. She immediately got between Yumi and Touko and gave Touko a long and intimidating stare.

"That's enough...Yumi-sama is working hard enough as it is. Telling her that she's no good is not helping." Each word Kanako said was like a knife through Touko's heart.

_Why can't Hosokawa defend ME like that?_ Touko thought to herself.

Sachiko entered the room and everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and greeted The Queen...err...Sachiko.

"Everyone is working hard I see..." Sachiko was all smiles while she was saying that.

"Yes...but Yumi-sama is in deep trouble if we don't do something soon." Touko said while doing a facepalm.

"What do you mean Touko-chan?" Sachiko asked.

"She's too stiff...She doesn't follow through in her performance. It's like she's LITERALLY just reading the lines." Touko replied.

"Hmmm...that bad huh?" Sachiko said looking at Yumi.

"Onee-sama!" Yumi protested that Sachiko didn't even try to defend her.

"Maybe she just needs someone to show her the proper way of doing it." Sachiko sets up the bait

"What?" Touko asks.

"Why don't you show Yumi-chan how it's supposed to be done?" Sachiko now lures the prey in.

"That's a great idea Onee-sama! I can watch Touko-chan for some pointers!" Yumi entices the prey further.

Kanako immediately interjects in the conversation.

"Does that mean I have to read the lines..." Kanako looks at Touko with disgust "with her?" The prey is almost aware of the trap.

"Pleaaase!" Yumi beggeg Kanako. Prey re-acquired.

"...If that will help you Yumi-sama." Kanako said in defeat. Score one.

Touko was in complete disbelief. She has to act out Yumi's lines...with Kanako?

"umm...but...I don't think that I can." The other prey struggles toi escape.

Sachiko places her hand on Touko's shoulder. Time to finish this.

"As I said before...You are the only one who can." Sachiko calmly stated. Checkmate.

"Fine...fine..." Touko said.

"Now that that is settled...The chef is done preparing lunch. Shall we eat now?" Sachiko said with a smile. Complete victory afterall.

The three girls nodded and they made their way to the dining room.

...

After lunch (were you seriously expecting me to write what happened while they ate?) Touko finds herself in front of her "Nemesis" while Yumi and Sachiko were sitting on a very expensive-looking couch watching them.

_Do i really have to do this?_ Touko asks herself.

She didn't even have a chance to consider her own question as Kanako initiated the scene and said her lines. Kanako just wanted to end this.

_Fine! There's no turing back now anyway._ Touko steels herself and begins.

...

Touko's acting was...amazing to say the least. She performed an exceedingly convincing performance that Yumi and even Sachiko were in awe. The most surprised was Kanako. She knew that Touko was part of the drama club, she just never thought that Touko was THIS good at acting.

_How can she act so...naturally?_ Kanako was dumbfounded at Touko as they continued the scene. She had never considered Touko as ANYTHING other than an enemy. But now, she was completely absorbed in Touko's acting.

Sachiko was used to seeing good acting growing up in a rich family afterall. And she noticed that Kanako was now seeing Touko in a way that Kanako ever though she could...As something to admire. Sachiko smiled.

...

It was getting late in the afternoon and after Touko's performance they decided to give Yumi one more shot. Unfortunately...After Yumi went back to being the main actress...She still sucked.

"Mou! Weren't you paying attention Yumi-sama!" Touko was now thinking that Yumi was making fun of her.

"I'm sorry...I just can't do it like Touko-chan after just seeing it once...hehe." Yumi replied.

"I guess Yumi needs more practice than this." Sachiko said.

"No kidding..." Touko said.

Kanako was in a state of shock. She had witnessed a brilliant performance by Touko and she didn't know how to react to it. She hates Touko but...she also admired Touko's superb acting. She was in a dire emotional situation.

"Kanako-chan...?" Yumi asks poking the tall girl's cheek.

"Aaah! Yumi-sama!" Kanako said in surprise.

"Your spacing off...must be tired from today huh?" Yumi asks Kanako.

"Maybe...do you need something Yumi-sama?"

"Well...I was wondering if we could practice together again in school...If it's ok with you..." Yumi pleaded.

Kanako considered being in another situation where she would have to put up with Touko again...but...

"It would be fine with me Yumi-sama."

She wanted to see Touko act again...

…

Aha! Developments! Please R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything on this fic that can be used against me in a court of law.

**Author's note:** Just something to point out. I took some stuff from the 18th novel of Marimite, which encompasses the school festival, for my fic. Namely the names of the plays that were performed, Sachiko's idea of role-swapping everyone, and a few things that will happen during the festival itself (which will be on the next chapter.) Just a head's up for everyone.

Another thing...Thanks to everyone who's been supporting this fic! I had no idea that it would be so well received...I just started this on a whim whil playing Mana Khemia (don't ask...) anyway...I hope everyone keeps supporting this story and this pairing. I really appreciate the support!

Now! On with the update!!

...

"Once again from the top!" Sachiko demanded from her seat below the stage.

Everyone groaned in unison with Sachiko's order. They were 4 days into practicing and it's not looking very pretty. Sachiko understood that Yumi needed a lot of work but...looking back, she should have expected something similar to happen with Yuuki...Because right now, the two main characters of their play can't act their way out of a wet paper bag. Both the Fukuzawa siblings realize this and were trying very hard but...knowing is only half the battle and it means nothing without execution.

"Sachiko..." Rei called to her friend. "I don't think that they can last anymore."

Sachiko sharply looked at Rei and replied.

"We won't be able to put up a good performance if we slack off now." Sachiko said with iron-clad determination. Her plans for Touko and Kanako have blinded her from more 'urgent' matters and she won't screw this up. She won't let ANYONE screw this up.

But thankfully, Rei wasn't as sadistic...and neither was Shimako who was approaching the other two roses.

"I think we should take a break first. Everyone's exhausted..." Shimako said.

"Like I said. We won't be ready if we slack off." Sachiko was standing her ground.

"We won't be prepared either if they all collapse. Just look at Yumi...the poor girl." Sachiko was a hard nut to crack. Lucky for Rei Sachiko had a weakness, and she knew what it was. Yumi.

"Fine, fine..." Sachiko finally realized that killing everyone from fatigue will finish the play...but not in a good way. "Everyone! We'll take a thirty minute break!" Sachiko declared (much to the relief of everyone).

...

During the break Kanako approached Yumi who was talking to her brother. Kanako didn't want her Man-hate mode to kick in in front of Yumi...so she completely ignored Yuuki. Yumi saw Kanako approach and waved at her, Yuuki remembered Kanako as Yumi's stalker but Yumi explained the situation and well...he still wants to keep away from Kanako.

Kanako handed Yumi a can of cold tea.

"Are you alright Yumi-sama? You seem very tired..." Kanako said with genuine concern.

Yumi took the tea and started drinking. After a while she finally spoke.

"Yeah I'm fine...Thanks a lot for the tea." Yumi smiles at Kanako.

"Your very welcome Yumi-sama."

Just then Touko burst in heaving.

"I--I'm sorry...for...being...late..." Touko said while out of breath.

"That's alright. You have your commitment with the Drama Club as well afterall and luck for you we're in the middle of a break so you can relax for a while." Sachiko said.

"Oh...thank goodness..." Touko said in relief. Touko noticed Yumi on stage and Yumi waved at her. Touko waved back and noticed Kanako with Yumi. Kanako simply looked at Touko for a moment and looked away.

"What was that all about?" Touko said to herself...but she quickly dismissed it since she was too tired to worry right now.

...

Back on stage

"Touko's amazing isn't she?" Yumi stated while catching Kanako's attention.

"What do you mean Yumi-sama?" Kanako asks.

"Well...she's doing two plays. The one we're doing and the one with the Drama Club. Even though she has a small role in this play it's still two completely different things. And not to mention her acting skills..." Kanako's mind went back to what happened in Sachiko's home when Yumi said those words.

"Indeed..." Kanako said very softly.

"What was that?" Yumi asks. She didn't hear what Kanako said but she heard her say something.

"No...it's nothing." Kanako said with a smile. Kanako then took another glance at Touko who was talking with some of the staff while drinking a can of juice that was given to her Noriko.

"...nothing at all"

...

Practice was now over and everyone finally managed to break free from the tyrannical methods of Sachiko. They were all making their way to the gate...everyone except four people. Sachiko, Yumi, Kanako, and Touko. Yumi has been asking Touko and Kanako for help in her acting since the week started and though Yumi has show improvement...I wouldn't watch it in broadway anytime soon. Sachiko was there because...well...because she can.

"That's better than before Yumi-sama but you need to be more forcefull in your movements. Remember that you are playing as a man in the samurai age." Touko was teaching Yumi how to 'sell' a performance while Kanako did her usual job as line reader though she was starting to take notice at how professional Touko was when it comes to acting.

"Do you think that Yumi will make it?" Sachiko asks Kanako from behind.

"I'm not sure...but Yumi-sama is trying very hard..." Kanako replied.

"Yes...everyone is don't you think?" Sachiko said while standing beside Kanako.

"Indeed...everyone..." Kanako said while looking at Yumi and Touko. Kanako still can't believe the fact that there was something about Touko that did not irritate her. Normally, when Touko was as close to Yumi as she is right now, Kanako would get very irritated. However, when Touko is teaching Yumi how to act, Kanako couldn't feel any hatred towards the drill-haired girl...in fact, she even felt like smiling. Indeed...they were all working hard.

…

Well...this is it. Saturday, the day before the festival and the play. Everyone is preparing for the final dress rehearsals. The Yamayurikai will perform after the Drama Club's play so that means that Touko needs to do a perfect performance TWICE. This fact was not lost on Yumi as she was worrying about the drill haired girl but Sachiko quckly pointed out that she has more pressing matters to worry about. It was the final rehearsals and Yumi was still a bit shaky with her acting. The practices she did after school with Touko and Kanako helped a lot since now she won't make a COMPLETE idiot of herself...but she won't be walking away unscathed either.

The combined forces of the Yamayurikai and Hanadera were watching the play that the Drama Club was putting on. The play the Drama Club was going to perform is "Wakakusa Monogatari" and as expected from the Drama Club they didn't hold back even if this was a rehearsal. Kanako was in the audience as well but keeping a substantial distance from the Hanadera guys (especially Alice). She was currently standing with Noriko somewhere near the west wall of the Gym.

...

"Not bad huh?" Noriko started.

"Yes...It is as expected from the Drama Club. It would have been embarassing if they did not perform at least as well as our play." Kanako said in an impassive voice.

"I kinda feel bad for Touko though..." Noriko sighed after she said that.

Kanako shifted her eyes at Noriko at the mention of Touko's name.

"...Oh?" Kanako said as if not caring. She was still trying to keep her image of hating Touko almost as much as she hated men. She didn't hate Touko as much as before anymore...but she doesn't like her either. She's at a very delicate position emotionally at this point.

Noriko is a sharp girl as well and she noticed the hint of interest in Kanako's voice after the mention of Touko's name, most other people would have overlooked that.

"Yes...I heard that she hasn't slept well this entire week...she's been up late until 3am. I mean, you saw her at class right?" Noriko pointed out.

That day, Touko was nearing her breaking point. She was hardly able to keep her eyes open and she couldn't keep up in class. She was even told to go to the Nurse's Office to rest be a couple of their teachers but she refused...some of her classmates thought that she was going to collapse.

"But she acts like nothing is wrong..." Kanako pointed out as Touko once again went on stage.

Now Noriko was VERY intrigued...In the months when she got to Kanako, she never thought that the tall girl would talk about Touko without some form of insult laced in her words. Something was changing...slowly but surely...something was definitely changing. Noriko smiled as she continued the conversation.

"That's because she loves to act on stage..." Noriko said. Whether or not she knew that Touko's acting was the reason for Kanako's gradually changing perspectives with Touko was irrelevant. The main point is, Touko's acting got Kanako's attention.

Kanako once again watched Touko performing on stage. When she would see Touko in any other situation, she would be very irritated at the very sight of her. Yet for some reason, whenever Touko was acting, Kanako felt no hate...no anger...no animosity for the other girl. All her negative emotions were replaced with one thing, Admiration.

...

The Drama Club's final rehearsal ended and it was now the turn of the Yamayurikai/Hanadera combo. Everyone involved was quite nervous for a few reasons.

**Number one:** They don't normally act on stage so natural stage fright is to be expected.

**Number two:** After witnessing the near-flawless performance by the Drama Club, several participants were now second guessing if they can prevent themselves from screwing up the play.

**Number three:** Failure meant the wrath of Rosa Chinensis.

Needless to say, Number three was the one they were most worried about.

Speaking of...Sachiko called everyone who was involved in their play together before beginning their performance. They were expecting a heartfelt, inspirational speech from Sachiko but all they got was...

"Good luck...and do your best." Was all Sachiko said.

Everyone just looked at each other and then at Sachiko.

"What's everyone waiting for?" Sachiko said with a confused face.

And with that, everyone went to their positions. Yuuki was walking with Yumi at the time and the younger Fukuzawa couldn't help but wonder...

"The way that Sachiko-san is being so calm about everything makes it even more scary."

The elder Fukuzawa agreed.

...

Touko was having trouble finishing up with her costume. Unfortunately, since she came in late because of the other play she was in, the staff members were too busy fixing up the other actors costumes.

"Come on...Come on...just a bit further..." Touko said as she was struggling to tie the sash of her costume. She has had previous experiences with putting on her own costume but because she has never played a male character before and because of fatigue it was a bit harder to do. But she lost her grip and let go of the ends of the sash.

"Ahh...no!" Touko said as she prepared herself for her sash to become undone. But it stayed on. Touko was perplexed at why that is until she felt a tug behind her, her sash being re-secured.

Touko was relieved that someone was finally helping her with her costume. She turned around to thank her savior when she saw none other than Kanako who was tying up her sash.

"Ho--Hosakawa...?" Touko was in complete shock. She was starting to feel her cheeks heat up until Kanako let go of her sash and turned to walk away.

"...Thanks." Touko whispered, though Kanako was already too far away to hear.

Suddenly, Sachiko got everyone's attention.

"This is it everyone...our final practice. Treat this like the real thing and remember all the work you have put into this and..." Sachiko smiled at everyone "Remember to have fun."

Once again, everyong was dumbstruck at the last part. But it did help them loosen up.

...

Final rehearsals are finally over and tomorrow is the real thing. The Yamayurikai/Hanadera play was looking pretty good. Their final practice was the best one they did. The Fukuzawa siblings managed to do a decent performance and no one had to be chewed out bu Sachiko. Needless to say, everyone was in high spirits and were psyched for the play tomorrow.

Everyone already left but Touko was still on stage fixing up her things. But she suddenly heard footsteps. But as suddenly as the footsteps appeared, they quickly dissappeared as well.

"O...K...that was weird...I must be getting tired." Touko sighed as she prepared to go home.

Kanako walked out of the Gym and started for the main gate. She was the source of the myterious footsteps. As she reached the Mary statue, Kanako said a small prayer. Before continuing on her way, she looked back to the school.

"I wish you well on the plays tomorrow...Matsudaira-san." Kanako said before making her way home.

...

Next chapter! The School Festival! Please R&R!


	6. Chapter 6

I found myself listening to the entire Original Macross Soundtrack while doing this chapter...weird...anyway...

**Disclaimer:** Me not own Marimite. I am a proud owner of their DVDs through...

To the School Festival! And Beyond!!

...

It is now the school festival for Lilian girls school and the weather is great, most likely because all the students probably prayed last night for clear weather. For the morning schedule everyone just did the usual things you would see in a school festival only a bit more...polite. There were food stands, game booths, and displays scattered around the campus. One of the most popular attractions of the festival was art and photography displays in the main building of the school, Tsutako's giant panel-sized photo of Yumi and Sachiko is the most popular among the displays.

Yumi and her class set up a food stand and she and Yoshino were currently manning the stand. During their stay, Yumi and Yoshino had run-ins with several people. Yumiko and Kei and the Hanadera boys (minus Yuuki) were among them. Noriko also showed up to buy some snacks for herself, Touko and Kanako. Later on in the day, Yumi ran into Sei and Youko who was showing around a young girl who turned out to be Kanako's little sister. Kanako herself was then set up to meet with her father (who she REALLY hated and was the origin of her hatered towards men) but her concern for her father as his child trumped her hatered, at least for this time.

...

It was afternoon and that meant that the plays were about to start. The Drama Club was up first and everyone involved in the Yamayurikai/Hanadera play was in the audience. Kanako was seated with Noriko and some of her other classmates.

"I can't wait for Matsudaira-san's performance!" One of Kanako's classmates said.

"I know! She's going to perform in both plays today which is amazing when you think about it..." Her other classmate said.

"That's right. I saw one of the Drama Club's practices and Matsudaira-san was really working hard for that play." Yet another girl said.

Kanako herself was getting unnerved with all this talk about Touko so she did what came naturally. She turned to her classmates who were talking amongst themselves and...

"Please be quiet...the play is about to start." Kanako said ala-Sachiko.

The girls immediately shut up. No one in their class would ever mess with Kanako save for Touko. And soon enough, the lights went off and the play started.

_Do your best..._ Kanako thought to herself.

...

The Drama Club ended their play with a loud round of applause from the audience. Their performance gave "Wakakusa Monogatari" justice and then some. Kanako was among those who stood up and applauded. Touko was on stage and scanned the field. She saw Yumi, who was with Sachiko, cheer and applaud though whatever Yumi was yelling out was drowned by the noise. Touko then quickly found Kanako amongst the crowd, though unlike Yumi and Sachiko who apparently now share a strange psychic link with each other, Touko found Kanako because she stuck out like a sore thumb amongst her other classmates. Touko then found herself staring into Kanako's eyes and Kanako was doing the same. The two continued staring at each other, Touko didn't even realize that Noriko was standing beside Kanako, they were lost in each other's eyes until the curtain went down.

Even though the curtain was already down, the crowd persisted (apparently it was THAT good). Kanako had long stopped clapping, she stopped after the curtain broke her eye contact witn Touko. Why she couldn't take away her gaze from Touko was beyond her. Normally she would do everything she could so she didn't have to look at Touko but at that moment...all she could do was look at Touko. Noriko, being as sharp as she was, was witness to Kanako and Touko's little exchange and giggled though no one noticed due to the crowd.

After the crowd calmed down. There was a half hour break before the next play. Touko was outside taking a breather and trying to get into the zone once again for the next performance. After a while, Touko noticed someone approach her.

"Yumi-sama?" Touko said as Yumi sat down beside her on the bench. Yumi was holding a can of green tea.

"Here..." Yumi handed Touko the tea "I thought you might need it."

"Thank you Yumi-sama...that's very kind of you." Touko said as she opened the can. Truthfully, she was too tired to pretend that she didn't like hand-outs from Yumi and she only had a short while left before she had to do it all over again.

"You were amazing Touko-chan! I knew that you were good but you completely blew me away!" Yumi was acting several years younger than her age.

"Yumi-sama..." a faint blush crept up Touko's cheek "You don't have to say it like that."

"But it's true! The time when we practiced was nothing compared to what you did! I'm sure Kanako-chan was impressed as well!" This was just Yumi being Yumi.

Touko nearly choked on her drink at the mention of Kanako's name.

"Aaah! Touko-chan!" Yumi went to Touko's side and rubbed her back.

Touko was coughing but that didn't stop a strong blush from forming. Touko was thinking of that little eye contact she had with Kanako. It was only for a few moments but it seemed like much, much longer for Touko. She was completely entranced by Kanako's eyes, like she could stare at Kanako for the rest of her life and she probably would have if the curtain didn't drop.

"Are you alright Touko-chan?" Yumi said with a worried face. I was gonna say 'voice' but...you know Yumi.

"Yeah...I'll be fine Yumi-sama..." Touko tried to re-compose herself...still not knowing about her blush.

"Alright...sorry about that..." Yumi apologized.

"I said that it's fine..." Touko gave Yumi an annoyed look.

Then Sachiko showed up with a slightly irritated face.

"So here you two are! Do you know what time it is?!" Sachiko was mad...

"Onee-sama!" Yumi yelled out.

"It's almost time! We need to change into our costumes NOW!" Sachiko said in a demanding tone.

Both Touko and Yumi stood and, with a quick "Yes!" from the two, they made their way to the dressing room.

...

When they reached the dressing room, Yumi and Touko was witness to a sight that could only be called "Controlled Anarchy". It was pretty hectic as everyone was getting dressed all at once. One of the staff members saw Yumi and Touko and yelled...

"There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you two!" The girl said.

Touko and Yumi apologized and started getting ready. Kanako was already done with her costume since she was one of the first ones who showed up. She had built up a tolerance to herself being dressed up as a man but was still a bit sickened by the idea when given enough time to think about it.

After their preparations were complete, Sachiko once again came in front of everyone. She looked at everyone, giving lingering looks at Yuuki, Yumi, Touko and Kanako.

"Just relax and everything will fall into place..." Sachiko once again said with a smile.

Some of them were actually thinking that Sachiko was sick or something with how different she was during practice and when they were about to go on stage. The Fukuzawa siblings were among them.

...

There is a saying that any reaction is better than none at all. But the reaction from the audience was something that none of them ever expected...or just pretended not to expect. The whole play quickly turned into a comedy soon after the first Hanadera boy walked on stage dressed in a kimono. The rest of the play went the same way. Everyone tried to keep their cool but the constant laughter got to them and they ended up doing the complete opposite of what the Drama Club did. The Drama Club did a faithful rendition of their play. The Yamayurikai/Hanadera combo...did what could be considered as a comedic parody of their play.

Oddly enough, they STILL got a standing ovation from the audience...though for a completely different reason. Whether or not this was the outcome that Sachiko had planned will forever be a mystery but she DID have a satisfied look on her face. Sei and Youko were in the audience and Sei laughed enough to last her a year and was shaking Youko in the process.

After the commotion died down, it was time to end the festival. It was successful with all things considered. As everyone started cleanup, the guests for the day made their way home or to someplace else.

...

Yumi streched her arms out as she helped everyone with the cleanup of their class' food stand. Yoshino left early with Rei (she ditched Yumi) and Tsutako and Mami were nowhere to be found as well.

"So much for helping out." Yumi said to herself as she picked up some empty paper cups.

"Do you need some help Yumi-sama?" A familiar voice said.

Yumi stood up straight to see who it was.

"Touko-chan!" Yumi said.

"Honestly...can't you do anything properly." Touko pointed out the mess that was Yumi's trash bag.

Yumi could just weakly laugh at Touko's observation. But there was someone else who was approaching them.

"Kanako-chan?" Yumi said with a strange look.

Touko was pretty surprised as well when she saw Kanako. Kanako said nothing and fixed up Yumi's trash bag.

"I'll hold on to this and make sure it doesn't spill again." was all Kanako said.

Yumi and Touko simply looked at each other. Yumi smiled, Touko blushed and grimaced, Kanako looked impassive but had a light blush on her face. The three of them finished up and made their way home. It was a great day for everyone.

…

The events of the School Festival were certainly something to remember. The Fukuzawa Siblings were still feeling the after-effects of their sudden "fame". Yuuki couldn't believe that so many of his schoolmates showed up during the play, the entire Hanadera Student Council was currently suffering from constant 'Gokigenyos' from their schoolmates...poor guys. Yumi herself was now the center of attention of the whole school. Thanks to her performance, she now has several more fans from Lilian AND Hanadera, but for different reasons...

"Go--Gokigenyo...Rosa Chinensis En Bouton..." A nervous first year greeted Yumi who was barely even through the main gate.

"Ahh...Gokigenyo..." Yumi smiled as best as she can for the girl.

But before anything else could be done the girl had already made her escape.

_And there she goes...that's the third one this week...and it's only Tuesday..._ Yumi thought to herself.

"How long do you plan to stand there Yumi-sama?" A familiar voice got Yumi's attention.

"Oh...Noriko-chan! Gokigenyo." Yumi perked up at the sight of Noriko.

"Gokigenyo...You certainly have become quite popular haven't you?" Noriko said while she walked to the Mary Statue, Yumi in tow.

"Well, it certainly wasn't expected. I mean, I really didn't do that well..." Yumi said with a sigh.

Noriko turned to Yumi.

"I don't think that's true. Everyone did a good job if you ask me." Noriko said.

"I guess that's true..." Yumi smiled when she considered it. It was true, everyone did do well. And she wouldn't have been able to make it if not for two...well...three girls who were important to her.

_Right!_ Yumi thought to herself with steel resolve and even pumping her fist in the air earning her some confused looks and giggles from passers by.

"Are you sure you are ok Yumi-sama?" Noriko asks Yumi who was now red and stiff from embarassment.

...

"I'm sorry Yumi but I can't..." Sachiko said with a dissapointed look. She wasn't the only one.

It was Lunch Break and Yumi and Sachiko were once again eating lunch at the Rose Mansion.

"But why? It's to celebrate the success of our play during the school festival." Yumi pouted as she poked her food again.

"Believe me when I say that I would love to go with you but I just have too many things to do right now. I'll make it up to you I promise." Sachiko reached out and held Yumi's hand.

"I guess I can't do anything about it...Then it'll be just the three of us then." Yumi squeezed Sachiko's hand.

"Three?" Sachiko raised he brow at Yumi's words.

"Yeah. I wanted to go somewhere with you, Touko, and Kanako to thank you for the support you all gave me during the school festival." Yumi said with a depressed tone.

"Oh...I see...Like a double-date?" Sachiko smiled a bit when she said this.

"W--what?!" Yumi stood up. Her face was as red as the soviet flag.

"I was only kidding Yumi..." Sachiko tried to calm down Yumi. "But it WOULD give those two some time to have fun together and bond." Sachiko has now revived her plan to get Kanako and Touko together. And after she said that she was busy as well...

"Onee-sama..." Yumi wasn't sure of Sachiko's prorites anymore.

...

Touko and Kanako really haven't been interacting ever since the school festival. Kanako thought that, since she won't see Touko act again, she should just go back to disliking her again. Kanako was just playing off what she experienced as some sort of phase that she had to go through. Touko on the other hand wasn't as simple. She had been confused enough at the sudden attention she recieved from Kanako before, but now Kanako's acting like nothing happened.

_But it's not like ANYTHING really happened either._ Touko thought as she stared at Kanako from her seat.

Suddenly, Touko felt someone poking at her cheek.

"Earth to Touko...We're losing you...We're losing you." Noriko said in a bored tone.

Touko slapped Noriko's hand away and gave her an annoyed stare.

"Don't look at me like that. That's the only way you ever snap out from one of your 'trances'." Noriko said while shaking her head.

"Hmph! I wasn't in a trance!" Touko tried to put up a strong front.

"Yeah...and you don't like a certain someone either." Noriko said with a faint smile.

Touko's front completely crumbled at Noriko's words and gave a defeated sigh.

"No progress then?" Noriko asked Touko.

"Not since the pla--HEY! What do you mean 'Progress'!?" Touko nearly lost it right there.

"Don't bother covering it up. You already gave it away after 'Not since'. So there was progress before then?" Noriko was pretty inquring today.

Touko knew that further resistance would be futile and it's always better to get an ally whenever you can.

"I think there was. But now..." Touko trailed off as she once again looked at kanako.

Noriko placed her hand on Touko's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. There's plenty of time for progress. Just take it one step at a time." Noriko reassured Touko.

Touko smiled.

_That's right. This isn't the end. There's still time...and I think I still have a chance._ Touko thought to herself.

...

Said 'chance' was a lot sooner than Touko imagined as now she found herself and Kanako in front of a gleeful Yumi. The En Bouton snatched away the two girls right after school was over and led them to (big surprise) the greenhouse.

"So...why did you take us here Yumi-sama?" Kanako asked.

"Well...I wanted to thank you two for helping me during the play." Yumi gave them a smile that could bring world peace.

Needless to say, both girls gave a light blush at Yumi.

"It's nothing at all Yumi-sama...I was glad to be of help to you." Kanako said.

"Me too. You don't have to thank me. Your performance was enough of a thanks." Touko said.

Yumi shook her head at the girls.

"Nope! That's not enough. Which is why I'm taking you both to the new amusement park!" Yumi flashed two tickets at the girls.

"Amusement..." Touko started.

"Park?" kanako finished.

They both looked at each other but quickly looked away, though for different reasons. All the while Yumi was there with a triumphant smile.

_I'll make sure that they both have fun!_ Yumi declared to herself. Once again throwing her fist in the air. And once again earning weird looks...though this time, Yumi didn't really mind.

…

HUZZAH!


	7. Chapter 7

This time, i found myself doing the update while the ending song of Ultraman Tiga kept looping in my head...

Author's note: I'm gonna be introducing an OC in this chapter but don't worry, The fic will still focus on Touko and Kanako. The OC is a charater from my next fic after this. YAY! Tie-ins! See if you can find the OC.

Disclaimer: I do not own Marimite. Maybe if I ruled the world I would own Marimite. But sadly...no.

...

Touko was currently in her room deciding what to wear for their date...

_NO! It is NOT a date! Yumi-sama just wants to show her gratitude! She's not smart enough to plan a set-up between me and Hosokawa!_ Denial is such an odd thing.

Deny as Touko might, she still wanted to look as presentable as possible for Yumi and Kanako. She picked out a pink shirt and blue jeans and sneakers. The way her shirt and jeans were sized, her bellybutton was ever so slightly exposed.

"Maybe this was a bit too much..." Touko was having second thoughts and was about to change into something else until...

"Touko-sama! The car is ready to leave. You don't want to be late now do you?" It was one of the maids.

Touko was beside herself. She spent so much time trying to pick out something to wear that she didn't notice the time. She once again scanned herself in the mirror.

"I guess that this will have to do..." Touko gulped before making her way out of her room.

"I wish you a safe tri..." The maid was caught a bit off guard by what Touko was wearing.

"What is it?!" Touko asked the maid.

"It's...nothing..." The maid tried to laugh it off.

"Whatever..." Touko dismissed the whole thing and made her way to the car.

_I wonder if she has a date or something?_ The maid thought to herself.

...

GOKI-land: It was an amusement park that was built by the Aoshima group to get more money off of the Japanese people. But of course if they said that, no one would go to said amusement park. Especially not three certain highschool girls.

"Wow...It's pretty big huh?" Yumi immediately reverted to being ten years younger than her actual age.

Kanako and Touko were standing at either side of Yumi. Yumi was wearing a blue T-shirt and matching jeans and sneakers and was wearing a Lilian cap (yes...they have those apparently). Kanako on the other hand was wearing a green dress with light green laces and black flat heels which made her look like a model. That fact was not lost to Touko who was stealing glances at Kanako.

Yumi stepped forward and looked at the two girls.

"Well then...Shall we go?" The 7 year old (mentally) Yumi asked the girls with gusto.

Kanako and Touko could just smile. As much as they are uncomfortable with spending the day with each other, Yumi just seemed to make all that discomfort go away. The both nodded their heads and Yumi took both their hands and made a dash for the entrance.

Yumi had forgotten to mention that Goki-land was located at one of the most popular dating areas in Tokyo. The attendees were dominated by couples on their respective dates. The sight of all of the couples kind of turned off the two first years.

_This is a joke right? This wasn't Yumi-sama's intention right? Right?_ Touko was asking herself.

_I'm certain that Yumi-sama did this with the purest intention...Surely._ Kanako was doing the same thing.

But before they could speculate Yumi's agenda any further, Yumi (7 years old mentally) once again took both their hands and dashed off into Goki-land. And so it begins...

...

You know those movies where a two friends of opposite genders ended up babysitting a kid in an amusement park for one reason or another and the two friends have some cute and romantic moments but never really share anything meaningfull because of the kid that they were supposed to babysit? Well...

"Let's go on that one first!!" Yumi pointed out to a Merry-go-round. I think she already forgot why she's here...

It sure seemed that way to Yumi's companions. Yumi was running around the amusement park like a puppy on RedBull. She would always try to talk to two girls into getting on a ride. Kanako and Touko were starting to wonder if Yumi planned to get on all the rides in the park once...at least.

"Where does she get all that energy?" Touko said to herself as she and Kanako followed Yumi around the park. Neither of them seemed to be bothered about walking together right now since they both didn't want to loose sight of Yumi.

"I have no idea...But she seems to be enjoying herself." Kanako replied thinking that Touko was talking to her. Touko gave Kanako a puzzled and slightly surprised expression.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Kanako asks the other girl.

"No...It's nothing..." Touko replied. "Where's Yumi-sama?" Touko gulped after she said that.

Kanako also realized what Touko was saying. Yumi was gone.

"Yu--Yumi-sama?" Kanako was starting to get nervous.

Touko on the otherhand was getting annoyed. She facepalmed and shook her head.

"Jeez...Yumi-sama can be such a ditz. She was the one who invited us to be here and she looses us?" Touko let put a sigh. Kanako wasn't as laid back.

"Yumi-sama...Yumi-sama..." Kanako repeated Yumi's name like a chant while scanning the area for her. Touko noticed the nervous...and slightly creepy feelings of Kanako.

_Jeez..she's acting like she lost her favorite doll._ Touko considers Kanako's current expression.

_But she does look cuter this wa--NO! This is not the time for this!_ Touko cought herself before she ended up degrading into a giddy highschool girl who was out with her secret crush...wait a minute...

"Don't bother looking for her here. If she was as hyper as she was a few minutes ago, she'd have moved on by now." Touko told Kanako in a firm tone.

Kanako looked at Touko. She wondered why is it that she was no longer feeling any discomfort when she was with Touko. Sure, she would dismiss her entire exsistence whenever she can...She kinda did soon after they got in the park, Yumi made sure that Kanako acknowledged that Touko was with them. But that was more of a habit she developed. Her reason for doing so (utterly hating Touko) was not there anymore.

_It was the same as with Yumi-sama._ Kanako thought. True; the image she had about Yumi and the real Yumi were nothing alike, but that was because she really didn't know all that much about Yumi. Kanako was starting to think that it was the same thing with Touko. What if Touko really wasn't that distasteful afterall? What if there was something (other than acting) that she could possibly like about Touko? What if--

"HEY!" Touko yelled at Kanako and snapped her back to the present. "Don't shut down on me! It's bad enough that we've lost Yumi-sama. I don't need dead weight as well!" Touko gave Kanako a scowl.

_Then again...I might have been right all along. _Kanako started to look around again.

"I'm fine...But you're right. I don't see any signs of Yumi-sama here. She must have moved on." Kanako was starting to get worried again. Touko noticed this and decided to intercept Kanako's emotions.

"Hey!" She got Kanako's attention "Worrying won't find Yumi-sama. We have to start looking for her." Kanako nodded in agreement. Discomfort or no discomfort. They had to find Yumi.

"Now...Where would Yumi-sama go to first?" Touko was trying to think places in the park that Yumi might go to. Then she relized that Yumi would probably go everywhere if given enough time.

"I wonder what Yumi-sama is thinking right now...She probably realized that she lost us. So where would I go if I was Yumi-sama and I had lost track of my companions?" Kanako deducted.

"Just make sure to think a few years younger than your actual age because Yumi-sama sure isn't acting her's." That earned Touko a giggle from Kanako. This surprised Touko. This was the first time that Kanako had ANY positive reaction to ANYTHING Touko had said to her. Sure, maybe it was because Kanako was imagining Yumi several years younger than she really was, but still...

_I guess this isn't so bad either._ Touko thought as she and Kanako went off in search of Yumi.

...

As for Yumi...Well, She wasn't as much of a ditz as Touko might think. Yumi was currently in another part of the park and was looking for someone.

"I trust that it went to plan?" A voice cought Yumi's attention. She turned to the person that voice belonged to. It was a guy, seemingly a University student. He was slightly taller than Yumi but still shorter than Sachiko. He had black hair that had bangs that barely reached his eyes and the hair at the back of his head was slightly spiked horizontally. He was wearing a white shirt with a leather jacket that said "Nekomi" in the back. He had somewhat battered blue jeans and black moutaineering shoes.

"Oh! It's you! So didn't get lost afterall!" Yumi said proudly.

The guy simply smiled and crossed his arms.

"Yep...you have a sense of direction. Good for you!" The guy gave her a thumb's up.

"Very funny Ryou-san!" Yumi pouted.

"Well,while those two bond while looking for you, what's say we check this place out?" Ryou asks Yumi.

"Sure! There are acutally a few rides that I want to go on!" Yumi reverted back to being 7 years old (mentally) as she and Ryou went off to another part of the park.

Didn't you wonder what happened to the ticket that was supposed to be used by Sachiko? Hehehehe...

…

As Ryou and Yumi went about to kill some time on some of the rides in Goki-land. Kanako and Touko were getting rather fatigued from wandering around aimlessly around the park, well...Kanako anyway.

"Do you even know where you are going?" Touko asked the tall girl in front of her.

Kanako did not answer. At first, when Yumi went AWOL on them, Touko thought that it wasn't so bad since it would be an excuse to hang out with Kanako for a while...of course she wouldn't be cought dead admitting that but that's Touko's issue. What she didn't expect was Kanako's singleminded determination to find Yumi at all costs. You sure know how to pick 'em Touko...

"Hey! We won't be able to find her this way!" Touko grabbed Kanako's arm as she said those words. She wasn't exactly expecting what she saw.

_She's at the verge of crying._ Touko realized. Kanako jerked her arm out of Touko's grasp.

"Don't touch me!" Kanako said in a sharp tone.

"Hey! Don't talk to me like that! I'm worried about Yumi-sama too you know!" Touko tried to counter Kanako's words. "Besides, Yumi-sama isn't some kid. She can take care of herself. Heck! She's probably enjoying herself in one of the rides right now!" Touko didn't realize how right she was.

"Shut up!" Kanako yelled at Touko. "Don't you dare say that you know Yumi-sama! She's all alone in this place! We were supposed to be her companions but we lost her! And now she could be scared and worrying what to do next!" Kanako didn't realize how wrong she was.

"Okay first of all! She lost US! She was the one who was running around the place like a seven year old!" Touko has gotten pissed at Kanako's attitude.

"Now you are blaming Yumi-sama for this?! She only wanted to show us a good time as gratitude and this is how you react?!" How easy it is to re-kindle the flame of hate.

"Yeah...so far it's been a WONDERFUL experience!" Touko said sarcastically.

Kanako didn't reply but simply turned away from Touko and started walking.

"Hey! Where do you think you--" Touko never got to finish as Kanako suddenly glared at her with tears forming in her eyes.

"Don't follow me..." Kanako said.

Touko could just stand there. Kanako's words were like a dagger that was twisting around in her heart. Obviously, their little exchange didn't go unnoticed as several people were staring at Touko who was shill in shock. After a while, she finally hung her head down and felt like crying herself.

_I am such an idiot..._

_..._

Kanako was briskly walking in an unknown direction. She didn't care where she was going, just as long as it wasn't anywhere near Touko.

_How could I ever think that I would ever get along with that girl. She's horrible!_ Kanako was once again starting to put up the walls that were torn down during the school festival.

_No! The important thing here is to find Yumi-sama!_ Kanako steeled herself to her task.

"Hey there cutie!" A voice called out to Kanako. But Kanako was too busy with her thoughts to notice.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" The man whom that voice belonged to grabbed Kanako's arm (that's the second time today!).

He was the prototypical highschool delinquent. Long swept-back hair, Leather jacket, ratty jeans, all he really needed was a piece of straw in his mouth and he could be in some cheesy shounen manga, more importantly, he was bigger and stronger than Kanako.

Once again, Kanako jerked her arm to free herself from this guy...Unfortunately, he wasn't as obliging as Touko. The guy simply tightened his grip on Kanako's arm. The poor girl winced in pain as the delinquent smiled at her.

"C'mon! I'll show you a good time so stop squirming!" The guy pulled Kanako in close to him. Kanako could smell the scent of alcohol in his breath.

_This is why I hate men! They're all pigs! All of them!_ Kanako thought to herself as she showed a terrified face. She looked around to seek help but all she got were stares from passers by.

The guy started to drag her away. Kanako was scared. This guy was going to do horrible things to her and no one would help. Or...that was what she thought. But as she closed her eyes and was about to resign to her fate, a loud scream was heared from the delinquent and the grip on her arm was gone. When Kanako opened her eyes, she was met with something astonishing.

"Matsudaira-san..." Kanako couldn't believe her eyes. It was Touko...with what appears to be a chair from one of the food stands. Touko had given the delinquent a rather generous chair-shot on the shoulder. But before she could inflict more injuries on the now curled up teen, the security personnel showed up and restrained Touko.

"Put the chair down miss!" One of the guards yelled as he grabbed Touko's arm.

"Hey! I'm not the bad guy here!" Touko was struggling from the guard. But he was stopped by Kanako.

"Please stop! She didn't do anything wrong!" Kanako yelled at the guard.

"What was that?!" The guard was about to throw Kanako off when one of his coleagues informed him that the people who witnessed the incident comfirmed Touko's story. The guard apologized to the two girls.

"So...Is she a friend of yours?" The guard asked Touko. The question caught Kanako by surprise and when she was about to see what Touko was about to say.

"Yes...She is. And I won't let anyone harm my friends." Touko firmly stated. Kanako went wide eyed.

"I see...Sorry again for the mix up. We'll make sure that this guy learns some manners." The guard said as he and others dragged the delinquent away.

Kanako approached Touko.

"Matsudaira-sa--"

"Jeez! Today has just been one thing after another!" Touko stated. She looked at Kanako and once again took her arm.

"What? Where are you taking me?" Kanako nervously asked.

"Ice Cream!" Was all Touko said.

...

Kanako was sitting on a bench in one of the rest areas of the park. Touko went off somewhere saying that she was going to buy some Ice Cream. Kanako was reflecting on what had transpired earlier.

_Yes...She is. And I won't let anyone harm my friends._ Kanako could hear Touko's words in her head once again.

_She called me her...friend..._ The walls that Kanako had just put up were now being demolished. Touko's words made her feel something...Something pleasant...Something...

_Warm_ Kanako thought. Soon after, Touko returned with a couple of Ice Cream cones. She handed Kanako one of them.

"I didn't know what to get so I played safe and just got chocolate." Touko said as she sat down to consume the Ice Cream.

Kanako just sat there staring at the swirled chocolatey goodness in her hands.

"It WILL melt if you just stare at it like that." Touko said before continuing on devouring the swirled chocolatey goodness. Kanako soon did the same.

...

SWIRLED CHOCOLATEY GOODNESS!! Please R&R if you can.


	8. Chapter 8

LIGHTSPEED UPDATE IS UPDATED AT LIGHTSPEED!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Marimite...even at lightspeed!

...

It was sometime in the afternoon and Touko and Kanako were still wandering around looking for Yumi

It was sometime in the afternoon and Touko and Kanako were still wandering around looking for Yumi. Unknown to them, Yumi was blissfully enjoying the park with Ryou who was currently trailing behind the girl.

"Hey!" Ryou called out to Yumi. "Shouldn't we start looking for those two? It's past noon already and they could still be looking for you."

Yumi turned around and thought about it for a moment.

"Uhh..Yumi-san?" Ryou walked closer to Yumi. But Yumi suddenly had a shocked look on her face.

"I completely forgot about them!!" Simply amazing...

"Wow...Yuuki was right about you..." Ryou said to Yumi though it seemed that she didn't hear him.

Yumi immediately took Ryou's hands. Ryou blushed slightly to this.

"We have to find them!" Yumi begged/ordered Ryou. The young man simply sighed.

"Fine...But they're probably looking for us--you as well..." Ryou started to look around to make the whole thing less...annoying. Then Ryou caught something that made him smile.

"Bingo..." Ryou said.

...

"Well...she wasn't on this one either." Touko said as she and Kanako got off one of GOKI-land's many roller coasters. Apparently they were starting to get tired of just walking around and since Yumi DID go through all the trouble of getting them here and Touko had the bright idea of trying out some of the attractions while looking for Yumi. How did she convince Kanako? Well, Touko told her that they would be wasting Yumi's effort of getting them to have a good time there if they just spent all day looking for her, and being the Yumi-nut that Kanako was...

"I don't feel so good..." Kanako said as she walked out of the roller coaster.

"Not used to those kinds of thing huh?" Touko let Kanako sit down foe a while.

"I don't understand how people could enjoy being hurled around like that." Kanako got really scared right after she saw the drop-off of the coaster (Touko got them the front seats.) and litterally screamed throughout the ninety second ride.

"Here..." Touko handed Kanako a bottle of water. Kanako hesitated for a while but she really needed a drink.

"Th-thank you..." Kanako said softly.

_Well...It's better than nothing._ Touko thought. Just as they were about to make their way to another part of GOKI-land the two of them heard a very familiar voice over the parks speaker system.

"Umm...I'm not sure if I can do this..." Yumi's voice could be heard throught the park. It would seem thats she was talking to someone.

"Yu-Yumi-sama! It's Yumi-sama!" Kanako immediately stood up. If it's Kanako...Yumi: Better than penecillin.

"Umm...To-Touko-chan...Kanako-chan. Umm...here in the southwest area of the park near the haunted house. I'm sorry if I got lost but let's enjoy the rest of the day together." Yumi didn't even finish her speech before Kanako was already making her way to Yumi's location, Touko following closely.

...

"Well...I guess that'll get their attention huh?" Ryou said to himself as Yumi was thanking the staff for letting her use the parks PA system. How Ryou managed to convince them in the first place, Yumi will never know.

"Well, that's it. They should be heading here as we speak." Ryou said as Yumi rejoined him. But as soon as Yumi got there, Ryou started to walk away.

"Ryou-san?" Yumi called out to Ryou. He turned around and waved to Yumi.

"We can't have them finding out that you weren't really lost and just spent half the day with me now could we? I had a lot of fun today Yumi-san. Thanks for inviting me." Ryou said as he waved to Yumi again and went on his way.

"Thanks for your help...Ryou-san." Yumi said with a smile though it was doubtfull if Ryou actually heard her.

...

Yumi waited a while near the Haunted House, which was quite popular among the young couples (go figure), and soon enough she cought sight of Kanako and Touko.

"Yumi-sama!" Kanako yelled as she ran to Yumi and held her hands. She had actually planned to jump into Yumi's arms when she saw her but, unlike Sei, she actually had some self-control.

"It's good to see you Kanako-chan." Yumi said with a smile, much to Kanako's delight. "Glad to see you too Touko-chan." Yumi said to a slightly angry Touko.

"Well...That was a pretty impressive idea Yumi-sama. I can't believe that you actually thought up a good plan." Touko raised her brow.

_Jeez...Why is Hosokawa is all over Yumi-sama?_ This boys and girls is called jelousy...please keep that in mind. Speaking of Kanako being all over Yumi...

"We were so worried about you Yumi-sama. We were looking all over for you." Kanako regarded Yumi like a lost kid.

"I'm sorry...I guess I got a little carried away by all of the rides." To be fair...Yumi DID act like a kid through most of the day. Yumi smiled at the two girls though she was thinking of something different then.

_WE were so worried about you Yumi-sama. WE were looking all over for you._ Yumi replayed Kanako's words in her head as they walked around another part of the park. They were walking together with the two first years once again on either side of Yumi though she noticed something a little different from the taller girl.

_It looks like she's enjoying herself...and not just because I'm here._ Yumi glanced at Kanako then Touko.

_Something good must have happened afterall._ Yumi giggled as she thought that.

"Is something wrong Yumi-sama?" Kanako asked her. Yumi shook her head.

"No...everything is great." Yumi took both the girls hands. "So...where to next?"

The two girls looked at Yumi and then each other. Kanako kept a passive expression but didn't give Touko a mean look. Touko looked confused but they both knew what to say.

"Wherever you want Yumi-sama." Both of them said. Yumi let go of their hands and took a few steps in front of them before turning around.

"Ok then! Can you girls go home a bit late?" Yumi asked the girls. Both of them looked confused.

"Well?" Yumi was up to something again I guess.

"Well...I can just have someone pick me up I guess." Touko said.

"I don't mind Yumi-sama. Our house is not that far off from here." Kanako said.

"But why do you want to stay so late?" Touko asks. Yumi gave a grin that would make Sei proud.

"It's a special surprise." Yumi said.

...

It was getting late and the girls killed some time by visiting nearly two-thirds of the park. They were currently taking a break and eating in one of the burger joints in the park. Interestingly enough, Yumi set things up so that they were sitting in a trianguar pattern in one of the round tables. This meant that Kanako and Touko were both sitting beside Yumi...but were also sitting beside each other. Oddly, they didn't seem to mind. Much to Yumi's satisfaction.

"So...what's this surprise about Yumi-sama? And why so late?" Touko asked as she finished off her french fries. Yumi was currently taking a bite from her burger as Touko asked her the question and, in true Yumi style, she looked at Touko and tried to give her a reply while still having the burger in her mouth. After realizing what she was doing, Yumi put down the burger.

"I'll tell you..." Yumi looked at her watch. "In twenty minutes...which means that we should get going." Yumi stood up as she said that.

"Yumi-sama...what about your food." Kanako said.

"This is more important." More important than food?

Yumi took the girls to one of the street sections of the park which was starting to get crowded. All three of them were standing close to each other as not to get lost...again.

"What's going on here Yumi-sama?" Touko asked as more people started to pile on.

"You'll see..." And, as if on cue, the lights around them went out. There was a moment of silence until...A sudden flood of lights and music sprang from the farther down street. Touko and Kanako realized what it was.

"It's a...parade..." Kanako went wide eyed at the sight. GOKI-land's claim to fame was that they always show an extravagant parade everyday at night. It seems that Yumi knows a lot more about this place than anyone had originally thought.

The two girls were in awe of the sight before them. The huge floats, the performers on each one, the wonderful music, the colorful lights, all of it. Yumi saw the girl's expressions and smiled. She held both the girls hands and the girls looked at Yumi.

"Thanks for helping me so much in the school festival. I hope you had fun." Kanako and Touko looked at each other and for the first time EVER...they smiled at each other.

"Yes...we had a lot of fun today." They both said as the three girls enjoyed the rest of the parade.

Unknown to even Yumi, Ryou was watching the whole thing from a distance. He was the one who told Yumi about the parade and went to check what happened...Thankfully her had his hand stamped before he left so he managed to get back in the park a little before the parade started.

"I guess I didn't have to check on her afterall...nice job Yumi-san." Ryou said as he admired the parade himself.

...

The day after Yumi, Touko, and Kanako went to GOKI-land was what one would say...A good day. The sky was bluer, the flowers smelled nicer, the people were nicer, breakfast was great, and the trees were...dying?

_Oh right...it's almost winter now..._ Touko thought as she looked out the window of the car that was taking her to school.

When Touko got back home yesterday she was...happy. Happy being the biggest understatement of this fic yet. The servants of the house saw Touko as she literally was skipping to her room. And why wouldn't she? That was the single best day she had all year so far...and the year is almost over! Touko plopped onto her bed giggling and blushing like there was no tomorrow.

Touko replayed the her favorite part of the whole thing. When Kanako smiled at her for the very first time (that she was aware of). Kanako's beautiful smile was now permanently engraved in her mind.

...

_I just wish it would happen more often..._ Touko thought to herself.

"We're here Touko-sama." The driver said as he pulled over to the front gate of Lilian. Touko thanked the driver and made her way to school, stopping a little bit in front of the Mary statue. Why? Because the very person who smiled at her last night was there praying to the Mary statue by herself.

"Hosokawa..." Touko said. Kanako performed the sign of the cross and looked at Touko. The drill-haired girl was on full defence. Great moment or not, there were some things you just can't get over easily; like Touko's reflex to tense up mentally whenever Kanako looks at her. But, the usual verbal and facial attacks that Touko had become so familiar with never came. Instead...

"Goodmorning Matsudaira-san." Kanako bowed to Touko and mad her way to the school building. Touko was in a bit of a shock at what just happened but managed to pull herself together.

"Um..Goodmorning...Hosokawa...san." Kanko stopped walking with Touko's words but continued on soon after. Touko could just smile. It was a good day afterall. She turned to pray to the Mary Statue.

_Thank You...Maria-sama._

_..._

"So assume the date went well..." Noriko asked as she ate lunch with Touko at their usual place which was somewhat littered with dead leaves and Ginko nuts.

Touko nearly choked on her food when Noriko said 'date'. Noriko had such great comic timing sometimes.

"Wha...It wasn't a date!" Touko defended herself to the best of her ability.

"You mean you wish it WAS but in reality it was just the three of you running around in an amusement park." Critical hit! Touko's defence proved futile.

"Well...there was a few..." Touko said in a soft voice.

"A few...what?" Noriko asked as she laid waste to the poor octopus hotdog village in her lunchbox. There might not be any survivors.

"Jeez...do you have to ask these questions during lunch?" Touko protested with a blush on her face.

"Do you want me to ask those questions in the classroom then...In the presence of out classmates INCLUDING Kanako-san?" Checkmate.

"Fine...Hosokawa and I..." Touko took a deep breath. "Smiled at each other."

Noriko dropped an octopus hotdog when she heard that. Deja Vu?

"When you said 'smiled'...Do you mean...voluntarily?" Touko just nodded.

"But...how did that happen? I never thought Kanako-san could turn that fast!" Noriko was surprised at what Touko just said...but there was more to come as Touko told Noriko what happend yesterday.

"So...It DID go well afterall. Not only did you score points when you helped her with that creep. But you also got to go on some rides with her AND got a smile from her." Noriko smiled.

"Yeah but...She only smiled after Yumi-sama thanked us for helping her. I think that the smile was really for Yumi-sama." Noriko raised her eyebrow at Touko's words.

"So basically...Your newest hurdle for Kanako-san's attention...is Yumi-sama." Noriko stated.

"What?" Touko gave Noriko a worried look.

"Let me spell it out for you..." Noriko cleared her throat. "Yumi-sama is your biggest rival. And what's worse is that she doesn't even realize it." Another revalation for Touko from Noriko during lunch.

_Yumi-sama...is...my rival?_ For some reason the rest of the day wasn't as good as Touko thought.

…

DEATH TO THE OCTOPUS HOTDOG RACE!! Please R&R if possible.


	9. Chapter 9

This update is brought to you by the letter '7'!...Wait a minute!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything on this fic that can be used against me in a court of law.

The school festival now seemed like a distant memory to everyone in Lilian. But ,as with all great events in life, it also came to an end and everyone has now recovered from it and started moving on to the normalcy of the everyday routine. Afterall, time waits for no one it WILL pass you by.

"NOOOO! Wait!" Yumi yelled as the bus passed her by. Jeez, wasn't she listening?

"Awwww...now what?" Yumi asked to no one in particular as she stood there in dispair. Why did Yumi miss the bus you ask? It was because of the next big event in Lilian. The Yamayurikai elections. Yumi had stayed up much later than she normally does talking to Yoshino on the phone about their plans for the elections. The problem of sleeping late was not as heavy on Yoshino since she could walk to Lilian. And she normally does so with Rei (Wow...when was the last time I mentioned REI in this fic?). Which brings us back to Yumi.

The En Bouton briefly considered walking to Lilian herself but quickly dismissed the thought since walking all the way to school was the thing she avoided by taking the bus in the first place. Just as she was about to have a mental breakdown...

"Yumi? What are you still doing here?" Yuuki asked his sister.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yumi looked at her brother.

"You missed the bus?"

"I missed the bus..."

There was silence...

"What am I going to do Yuuki?!" Yumi pleaded as she grabbed on to her brother's chest. "I can't be late! Not now of all times! It's the Yamayurikai Election season. And if I don't make a good impression on the students I might not become Rosa Chinensis next year and that would severely dissapoint Onee-sama!"

Yuuki sighed. A barely noticable blush was on his face when Yumi mentioned...well, sort of mentioned Sachiko. He considered his options. Unlike Yumi, he really didn't mind walking to school. In fact, it gives him time to think about things. Although, there were a few occasions where his thinking was counter-productive. That was when he had a thought.

"It's wednesday right?" Yuuki asked his sister who was clinging onto him like some sort of sentient alien parasite.

"Yes...why?" The sentient alien parasite asks.

"I'll be right back!" Yuuki said as he made a break for their house.

"Yuuki!" The elder Fukuzawa yelled at her brother.

...

"Oh no! I'm going to be late..." Yumi said worriedly as she looked at her watch. But, before she could worry any further, Yuuki came running back.

"Yuuki!" Yumi said with new hope.

"I...got...you...a ride..." Yuuki said between breaths.

"A...ride?" Yumi was curious. Yuuki didn't have a car. And there's no way he could have possibly called Sei. So...

"Ryou-sempai said that he'll be here in 5 minutes." Yuuki said as he started walking to school.

"Ryou-san?!" Yumi said in shock.

"Yeah...he has a motorcycle now remember? He said that he can give you a ride before heading to school himself." Apparently, Ryou has been saving up for a bike since last year and just bought a new one last week.

"A...motorcycle..." Yumi's worry was understandable. Afterall, the Rosa Chinensis En Bouton being given a ride to school by a University student who somewhat looked like a delinquent on a cruiser-type motorcycle is not the kind of attention Yumi was looking for.

...

Touko was once again being taken to school in the family car and was contemplating on what Noriko told her not too long ago. In fact, she has spent the majority of her cerebral capacity on the matter. Touko had never thought of Yumi to be an obstacle to become closer to Kanako. Afterall, Yumi had been nothing but supportive of Touko through this whole thing. But, after Touko thought about it long and hard, she realized the truth. Kanako's eyes were almost always on Yumi. It wasn't anything romantic, simply pure admiration. And THAT was the whole problem. Touko can't confront Yumi about Kanako as a rival because Yumi isn't REALLY a rival. But if she doesn't do something about this issue, it could escalate to something worse. Touko was still debating to herself on what to do about this paradox when the driver stopped the car. Touko looked around and saw that they were still a bit of a distance off from the school gate.

"There seems to be a bit of a commotion at the main gate." The driver said.

"That's alright. I'll walk the rest of the way." Touko exited the car and made her way to the cause of the commotion. There was an ever growing number of students who were surrounding something or someone. Touko could hear a distinct sound from the crowd.

"A motorcycle?"

...

Snap! Snap! Snap! Went Tsutako's camera at what she and Mami had dubbed as 'The biggest story of the year'. And the so-called 'Biggest story of the year'? Well, the area around Lilian was notorious for being peacfull and quiet. So, when Ryou's new red 'Honda VT125C Shadow' rolled in the vicinity, it caught the attention of pretty much everyone within several yards.

Yumi wasn't even able get off the bike before flocks of girls started to surround them. Yumi was riding sidesaddle on the bike and was hanging onto Ryou's jacket when they pulled in. Yumi was wearing a basic helmet so her face was not covered but thankfully Ryou was wearing a full racing style helmet with a tinted visor so no one could tell who he was. But that didn't help Yumi that much as she was bombarded several questions about her current...situation. It didn't take long for Mami and Tsutako to come onto the scene as well to make sure that there was permanent proof of Yumi's unusual entrance.

"Well...they say there's no such thing as bad publicity..." Ryou said to Yumi. Yumi barely heard him through all the questions the girls were asking and simply decided to bury her face in Ryou's back. Fortunately, Yumi had a saving grace. Unfortunately, for Touko anyway, that saving grace was Kanako.

Kanako wedged her way into the crowd and blocked Yumi with her tall frame.

"That is quite enough!" The tall girl yelled. Sad to say that even Kanako alone isn't enough to stem the tide as the girls tried to push Kanako away to continue their assault on Yumi. Kanako lost her balance and was about to fall when someone caught her by her arm.

"Hey!" Kanako looked at who it was that saved her.

"Matsudaira-san?" Kanako looked Wide-eyed at Touko.

"Wonder later. Yumi-sama needs help." Kanako nodded at Touko's words and they both wedged themselves between the bike and the horde.

"Yumi-san." Ryou nudged his back to alert Yumi. "Check it out." Yumi looked at what Ryou was talking about and saw Kanako and Touko trying to block the crowd from her.

"Kanako-chan! Touko-chan!" Yumi gasped when she saw the two girls. The girls turned around to look at Yumi.

"It's okay Yumi-sama. It will be alright." Kanako said. Touko noticed the caring way Kanako said those words to Yumi.

"I guess that's my cue!" Ryou said out loud.

"Hey!" Ryou called out to Kanako and Touko. "Cover your eyes and noses...You too Yumi-san." the girls did as Ryou said though Kanako hesitated a bit being ordered by a man afterall. After Ryou saw that the girls were ready, he immediately began a burnout with his bike.

"Man...Tamiya-sempai's gonna kill me for doing this to my tires." But Ryou's idea worked as the girls quickly dispersed due to the smoke from the tires.

"Well...that takes cares of that." Ryou said turning to Yumi. "You can get off the bike now."

"Oh yes...thank you." Yumi got off the bike where she was greeted by Kanako and Touko.

"Are you alright Yumi-sama?" Kanako said in her caring tone exclusively reserved for Yumi.

"Yes...I guess you two saved me again huh?" Yumi said as she started to walk towards the gate.

"Yumi-san." Ryou called out.

"What is it?" Yumi asked Ryou. He simply pointed at her head. She still had her helmet on.

While Yumi was overcome with embarassment and Kanako tried to calm her down, Touko was standing nearby but felt like she was a mile away. Kanako cared for Yumi greatly. Touko knew that. But it really didn't make her fell any better. She felt left out...left out by Kanako.

_Not that she let me in anyway._ Touko thought as she walked into the campus. Yumi noticed this and ran towards Touko after saying her goodbyes to Ryou, Kanako followed.

"Hey! Don't leave us like that!" Yumi playfully told Touko.

"Oh...sorry about that." Touko gave a weak smile and walked on. Yumi stopped in her tracks, she looked worriedly at Touko's distancing figure. Kanako was also looking at Touko though no one could tell what she was thinking at the time.

...

To say that Touko was unresponsive during class was like saying that the ocean was bigger than a puddle. Once again, everyone in her class thought that she was sick again that maybe she had a terminal illness that she never told anyone...Okay, maybe that last one was a bit much but you get the point.

"Touko-san?" Noriko nudged her friend who was staring at her desk. It was a vacant period betwen classes and Noriko decided to see what was wrong with Touko, no one else will apparently. She also saw that Kanako was stealing glances at Touko but still held her ground.

"You were right..." Noriko looked back at Touko as the drill-haired girl spoke.

"Right? About what?" Noriko asked her friend. Touko looked at Noriko and gave a weak smile.

"It's a hopeless cause...I'm in an un-winnable battle and I can't even fight back. I should just give up and save me the heartbreak." Touko said with the same weak smile. Noriko was taken aback by Touko's statement. This is Touko we're talking about here! Miss 'Never back down from anything' Touko. And she was just...Giving up?

"...Liar." Noriko said with a bit of a frown. Apparently, Noriko had a lot of faith in Touko's 'Never back down from anything' attitude. Touko looked at her friend with wide eyes.

"I'll come back when you decide to go back to being Matsudaira Touko again." Noriko left for her chair after saying that, she had a very saddened expression. Touko just went back to staring at her desk. Kanako was still using her poker face (unconfirmed if Kanako plays poker) but still gave Touko a few glances, Touko never noticed any of them.

...

"And she just walked off?" Sachiko asked as she and Yumi ate lunch together (I'm pretty sure you can guess where.)

Yumi slimply nodded. She didn't understand why Touko would just walk off like that. She wasn't that kind of person. Yumi sighed. Everything was great during their trip in GOKI-land so Yumi was absolutely at wits end thinkning of why Touko would just EMO out like that.

"You should just ask her then." Sachiko told her petit soeur. Yumi's ever-so-readable face strikes again.

"Ask her? How? I can't just walk up to her and ask right?" Yumi replied.

"And you can't use an overly complicated and unecessary plan either." Sachiko said flatly. "Besides, you still have the elections comming up. I suggest that you figure out your priorites."

"Yes...Onee-sama." As much as Yumi would love to help Touko, Sachiko was right. She had her own problems to worry about and, with Sachiko busy studying for entrance exams, Yumi won't have her Onee-sama's support through this.

_I'm sorry Touko-chan...I can't help you anymore...At least until the elections are over._ Yumi thought to herself.

...

Touko had thought that she had a large number of allies to help her get Kanako. But one by one, all of them seemingly vanished. Along with her confidence in the whole thing.

_Why did I delude myself?_ Touko thought as she walked out of the classroom. Her friend Noriko was fixing her things and, as much as she hated to see Touko like she is right now, Noriko knew that this was something that Touko had to get through even if she had to do it alone. But...fate has a weird way of playing the field as Noriko saw Kanako quickly fixing her things and seemingly walking after Touko. Noriko could just stare in awe.

Touko was walking but her mind was blank. She couldn't feel. She couldn't think. She couldn't even express how sad she was right now. There was nothing. It was like everything that was her had been sucked out by the demon of rejection. And she didn't even manage to tell Kanako her feelings. If this is what she was like after only seeing Kanako's unequalled affection for Yumi, Touko couldn't imagine what she might have done if Kanako had rejected her outright. Zombie Touko even passed the Mary statue without even looking at it, but she wasn't headed for the exit. What's left of her mind that was still working led her somewhere else. And, as if someone flipped a switch, Touko found herself in front of the chapel where she first told Yumi about her feelings for Kanako.

"I guess it's fitting that I ended it here." Touko said.

"End what?" Said a familiar voice. The voice that Touko really didn't want to hear right now. Her voice...

"Hosokawa..." Touko saw Kanako standing behind her. The taller girls eyes betrayed a small sense of concern for the other girl.

"End something that's hopeless I guess...Not that it matters anymore." Touko gave Kanako a smile. Kanako immediately had a scowl on her face and quickly stepped forward.

A sharp sound was heared.

Touko's cheek felt like it just got hit with a frying pan. In front of her was Kanako who was angry. Touko had never seen Kanako look like that. She felt...scared.

"Don't you dare give me something as fake as that!" Kanako said with a passion.

_Fake?_

"What? What...do you mean?" Touko asked while covering the sore on her cheek.

"I've known you for many things Matsudaira-san. I know that you annoy me, that you stick your nose in other people's bussiness as if you had the right to, that you were partly responsible for Yumi-sama's worst week of the year, that you think that you can solve everything." Kanako held the hand she used to slapped Touko with. "But you were always true to yourself. You never faked a smile nor a scowl. You always did things you believe in and saw it through to the end. And most of all...you never gave up. You irritate me a great deal but he the fact that you always believed in youself at least earned my respect. That is something I don't think I could ever do."

_What is this?_

_What's going on?_

_Is this a dream?_

_This has to be a dream right?_

_Because there's no way that she would ever..._

Kanako snapped Touko from her thoughts.

"I don't know what you are going through right now and I'm not going to nose around either. However, I would appreciate it if you would stop acting like such a weakling." And with that, Kanako walked away and left Touko to think.

_It's not a dream..._ Tears started to fall.

"I'm so pathetic...If even Hosokawa had to cheer me up..." Touko said to herself.

_But she's right. Noriko is right._ Touko wiped away her tears.

_I'm do a lot of things...but giving up is not one of them..._ She looked at the direction where Kanako walked away.

"I won't give up..."

...

Done and done! Please R&R if at all possible.


	10. To address a growing concern of readers

Hello everybody!

This is only to address the issue regarding the surprising amount of worry on whether or not I'm going to pair up Yumi with Ryou (I'll probably finish the next chapter within the next 7 days).

And the answer is…Yes (Hides under Captain America's sheld from YumiXSachiko fans).

The reason why is to do something new. But don't worry, Ryou and Yumi will have their own story (please see "My Red Rosebud"), this one is STILL about Touko and Kanako. I would like to point out that the whole reason why I'm writing "Attraction & Repulsion" is because (as one of my friends put it) 'I want to challenge the impossible one pairing at a time' and there are very few things as impossible as ToukoXKanako. If you don't like the idea of pairing up Yumi with a guy then I'm sorry, but there are more than enough YumiXSachiko fics (a lot of REALLY good ones in fact.) out there so I don't see why I need to make another one. I simply ask that you understand my reason for doing this and I hope that you would give it a chance.

I would also like to thank you all for your support on Attraction & Repulsion. I'm still amazed that this fic has been as well received as it has been. I mean…Wow….Anyway; I hope that ties up all the loose ends.

Vanishing Trooper


	11. Chapter 10

This update is brought to you by the SUPER GHOST PHONE! Not only can you find ghost! You can also communicate with them! Warning! Ghosts may not exist.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything on this fic that can be used against me in a court of law.

Touko had finally gotten her bearings back and all because of the very person who get her off them in the first place. And once again, order in the Universe has been restored. She was inlove with Kanako, that much is certain, so she thought that she would have to tell the taller girl about her feelings. But there was an obvious problem.

"We're supposed to hate each other..." Touko said into her phone.

"That's only public perception. I know that you two are slowly but surely getting closer to one another." Noriko countered. Because of her near wipeout, Touko had decided to stop beating around the bush. She had to find a way to at least take away all the animosity that had built up between them in the past and she couldn't do it alone so she asked for help.

"Yeah...but that was only because of Yumi-sama's interventions. In fact, Yumi-sama was the only real reason why Hosokawa-san even did all that she did." Touko said in a depressed tone. Here was Touko's biggest problem. Kanako's somewhat creepy admiration towards Yumi. It's true that Yumi was not the pure, innocent and infallable rose that Kanako had first invisioned but Yumi gave her new things to admire instead.

"Hosokawa...SAN?!" Noriko made sure that Touko heared her say the 'san' part.

"Wha--what now?!" Touko said in a nervous tone. She wasn't used to it herself.

"No...nothing at all..." Noriko said as she got the reaction from Touko that she wanted.

"Jeez! Can we please focus here!" Touko said all flustered. Not that Noriko could see her blush.

"Alright...you said that Yumi-sama was the reason for those moments you had with Kanako right?" Noriko stopped messing with Touko.

"Ummm...yeah..." Touko said.

"Well...just use Yumi-sama to get close to Kanako-san again then." Noriko said clearly.

"Are you nuts?! She's the reason why Hosokawa-san can't even notice me!" Touko yelled. Noriko had anticipated Touko's reaction and managed to get the phone away from her ear before Touko yelled at her.

"Exactly. Yumi-sama is on your side right? So ask for her help in the matter and use her as a catalyst to spark something with Kanako-san." Noriko told her friend.

"Use Yumi-sama...as a means to get closer to Hosokawa-san?" Touko thought about it for a moment.

"Use a disadvantage and turn it into an advantage. It's basic warfare strategy." It would appear that Noriko is using Touko's situation as a simulation for world domination.

"Use Yumi-sama...to my advantage..." Once again, Noriko had gotten Touko's geard started. All that remains now is to ask Yumi-sama's help.

...

The next day, Touko headed for the Rose Mansion first thing in the morning. She knew that the Yamayurikai always had meetings before classes start and she wanted Yumi's help as soon as possible. As she was walking towards the Rose Mansion, Noriko spotted her.

"Hey! Touko-san!" Noriko called out. Touko stopped her march and turned to see her ally walking towards her.

"Noriko-chan...Gokigenyo." Touko greeted her friend.

"Gokigenyo. Early aren't we?" Noriko said with a raised brow.

"Yeah well...why are you early?" Touko quckly said.

"In case you forgot...I AM Rosa Gigantea En Bouton..." Noriko said flatly.

"Oh yeah..." Touko said with a creeping blush on her face due to embarrassment.

"Didn't sleep too well last night did you?" Bingo.

"Like I could!" Touko countered.

"Right...well, let's go. I'll help you get in." Noriko said with a smile as she and Touko went inside the Rose Mansion.

...

When Noriko opened the door. It was obvious that there was something different in the room...well, TWO things. The two older roses were not present.

"Oh...Noriko-san. Gokigenyo." The current Rose Gigantea greeted.

"Gokigenyo Noriko-chan!" Yoshino said.

"Goki--..." Yumi...umm...said while slumped down on the table.

"What's wrong with Yumi-sama? And where are Rosa Foetida and Rosa Chinensis?" Touko popped her head from behind Noriko.

"Oh! Touko-chan. Gokigenyo." Shimako greeted Touko.

"Gokigenyo. To answer you question. Rei-chan and Sachiko-sama are busy with University entrance exams so they won't be able to be as active in the Yamayurikai as before. Thankfully, Shimako-chan is still here since she's still a second year." Yoshino said.

"I see...Do you plan to continue being Rosa Gigantea next year Shimako-sama?" Touko asked the 'Wisteria Maiden'.

"Yes. I love doing what I do and I plan to continue with it." Shimako said with a smile. Noriko put down her bag and went to make some tea. Touko sat down beside Yumi.

"So...what happened to her?" Touko asked worriedly.

"The elections are comming up and she's wearing herself out worrying about it. I don't see what the big deal is anyway. We both have pretty good reputations in school so we only really need to campaign just for the sake of it..." Democracy at it's finest.

"That sounds just like Yumi-sama." Touko said as she started rubbing Yumi's back.

"Yumi-sama...wake up. This is neither the time or the place to be sleeping." Touko tried to wake Yumi.

"..mmmm...mhh...Five more minutes..." Yumi murmured.

"Wow. She's really out of it." Noriko pointed out as she served tea.

"Yes...the poor girl. If only she had some help." Shimako said before sipping some tea. A lightbulb in Noriko's head suddenly lit up. She immediately looked at Touko who had the same expression. Thw two girls looked at each other and smiled.

_That's the catalyst!_ They both thought.

...

"Help with my campaign?" Yumi blinked a few times. The Yamayurikai managed to somehow get through the moring meetings thanks to Touko who turned into a temporary Red Rose because Sachiko wasn't there and Yumi was utterly smashed (not due to alcohol or drugs though.) Touko took notes on the meeting and gave them to Yumi after she was more...sane...

"Yes. And it looks like you will need it considering what you look like after only a couple of days." Touko and Yumi were the last ones to leave the Rose Mansion and they were walking together towards the school building.

"Yumi-sama?" Someone called out to Yumi (Twenty free internets to anyone who can guess who.)

"Kanako-chan!" Yumi's face lit up, though she was still struggling due to stress that she forced upon herself. Touko's face also lit up but she quickly calmed herself down. She couldn't afford to mess up.

"What's wrong Yumi-sama? You seem ill." Kanako asked Yumi with her 'only-for-Yumi-sama' voice. Touko cringed a bit but still maintained her composure.

"Oh...I've been a bit stressed out while preparing for the Yamayurikai elections though some people say that I don't have to put in so much effort into it." Indeed, the 'some people' than Yumi mentioned included: Sachiko, Rei, Yoshino, Shimako, Yuuki, Ryou, Yumi's parents, Tsutako, Mami, and even Sei and Kei. Some people indeed.

"Oh dear! That's terrible...Can I help ypu with anything?" Kanako asks.

_Chance!_ Touko mind flashed.

"Well, I DID tell her that she needed some help and even offered her mine. But she doesn't seem to want to accept it." Touko interjected.

"Is this true Yumi-sama?" Kanako asks her idol.

"Well...yeah. Touko-chan kindly offered me her help but I know that she can't always be there since she's still part of the Drama Club." Yumi rubber the back of her head as she said that.

"Then have someone else help you when I'm not around. Two helpers are always better than one right?" Touko is pushing the hard sell and picked up some extra momentum from an unexpected source.

"That's right Yumi-sama. You can't just bare all the burden by yourself all the time. I would be glad to help you if you want." Wait...Did Kanako just agree with Touko?!

"I guess..." But before Yumi could give them a definite answer the bell rings signifying that classes are about to start.

"Oh no! We better get to class. Let's talk about this in the Rose Mansion after school." Yumi told the two girls before making a dash to her class.

"She didn't have to run..." Touko said flatly as Kanako walked pass her.

"Umm...Thank you for the other day!" Touko called out to the taller girl. Kanako stopped walking.

"I know we had our differences in the past but...Thank you...for knocking some sense into me the other day." Kanako turned her head to see Touko bowing to her. Touko heard footsteps and, when she stood up straight, she saw Kanako walking away. Touko frowned a bit but she didn't see that Kanako had a faint smile when Touko was bowing to her.

...

"I say take the offer." Tsutako said as she was cleaning the lens of her camera. It was lunch time and since Sachiko is AWOL Yumi decided tohave lunch in the Cafeteria with Tsutako and Mami.

"That's right! It's alwaya nice to have couple of lackeys handy." Mami said as she ate her ramen noodles. Yumi was eating the food in her lunchbox and Tsutako refused to start eating until she had finished her maintenance on her camera (she treats it better than marines treat their rifles.)

"I don't think you should call them 'lackeys' Mami-san." Yumi said.

"All the same. It would take some load off. Afterall, you are the sole representatve of the Red Rose family right now right?" Tsutako said as she reassembled her camera to start eating.

"I guess..." Tsutako and Mami couldn't understand why Yumi wouldn't want anyone to help her. They just shook their heads and continued eating while Yumi considered her options.

_I would be nice to get some help...but...If I'm to be a stronger person like Ryou-san said. I need to at least solve ONE problem in my life on my own._ Yumi considered her coversation with Ryou over the phone a few days ago when she asked him for some advice.

(insert flashback ripples here)

"Don't you have anyone who can help you?" Ryou said over the phone while typing on his laptop.

"No...Onee-sama is busy with entrance exams and I don't have a Petit Soeur so..." Yumi said with a worried voice.

"Does getting elected as Rosa Chinensis REALLy mean that much to you?" The you man asked.

"Of course!" Yumi yelled out making Ryou drop his phone.

"Ow...Didn't have to yell you know." Ryou said, switching the phone to his other ear.

"Sorry. But it really does mean a lot to me." Yumi replied.

"If you really want something then do whatever it takes to get it. Even if you have to do it on your own. You can't become a strong person if you keep relying on other people." Ryou said flatly.

"That's true...Right! I'll do it on my own if I have to then!" Yumi declared.

"That's the spirit! Just don't kill yourself over this and one more thing...If you CAN get help then do so. Remember, help from others is also one way to get what you want. Just make sure you don't abuse it." Ryou said before hitting the 'enter' key on his laptop.

(insert end of flashback ripples here)

_Oh...I forgot that last part._ Yumi thought with a sweatdrop.

...

They say that miracles are called miracles because they don't happen. But the girls of Noriko's class were treated to a miracle themselves. They looked awestruck as Touko walked over to Kanako's desk and waited for her to get ready to go. They were talking about going somewhere together but the other girls couldn't figure out the specifics. It wasn't until they left that the other girls started talking.

"What's going on with those two?!" On girl said.

"Don't they hate each other? Why are they acting so buddy-buddy with each other all of a sudden?" Another girl asked.

"Maybe they went to finally settle things with a duel or something?" Another girl said.

"That's possible! Maybe they've had it with just insulting each other and decided to finish it!" Another girl exclaimed. Noriko could just giggle at the assumptions her classmates are making. She knew that, for the first time, they'll be working together towards the same goal. And that's a pretty nice step forward for them.

...

"I'm really sorry for making you two do this!" Yumi bowed to Touko and Kanako.

"What are you apologizing for? We were the ones who wanted to help." Touko said while she facepalmed.

"That's right. We did this out of our own volition. You don't need to feel sorry for anything. Now...where do we start?" Kanako said with a smile. Touko noticed Kanako's smile.

_I wonder when she'll smile for me like that? NO! I need to focus! Speculations will only get me in trouble! I need to tear down the animosity between us and build up a good friendship before that could ever happen._ The drill-haired girl thought. Touko was determined as ever.

"Oh right!" Yumi snapped Touko from her thoughts. "Let's start with comming up with a poster to put up around the school!" Yumi said happily. Kanako and Touko nodded and sat down to start brainstorming.

_The day when she'll give me a genuine smile will surely come, and that will be the start. Because this is something that I truly want. With all of my heart._

...

Done! Please R&R if you can.


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything on this fic that can be used against me in a court of law.

Kanako had just arrived in the gates of Lilian, a smile evident on her lips. It has been a week since the election results have been posted and, as everyone who knew about it predicted, the status quo was maintained with the victories of Yumi, Yoshino, and Shimako. The victory was so certain because of two very important things:

-All three of the Yamayurikai members were well loved by the student body.

-They didn't have any competition. (Democracy is a wonderful thing…)

Makes you wonder why they did the elections in the first place. Anyway, Kanako was as high as a kite ever since. She made her way to the Mary statue and said her prayers, mostly about thanking the Virgin Mary for the victory (inevitable) of Yumi. There was something else that developed during the election period. Kanako had noticed that she was being much more comfortable around Touko. At first, she just thought that it was because Yumi was there and distracted her from Touko. But, when Yumi asked the two of them to hand out flyers at the gate after school, Kanako still had that sense of security and calm that she had before. It wasn't because of Yumi. It was because Kanako had stopped hating Touko. The tall girl didn't know when, how, or why, but what she did know was that this is fact.

She didn't have any negative feelings towards Touko anymore.

When she got to her classroom though, something was amiss. Her classmates were talking amongst themselves but, Kanako being Kanako, simply ignored them and sat down. It was after Noriko came up to her that she found out why.

"Matsudaira-san is not coming to school today?" Kanako said in a flat tone, but she felt a bit of a pang in her heart. She chose to ignore it.

"Yes, one of their servants called and told the faculty. Though I'm not sure why. Even when Touko-san had a fever, she would still come to school." Kanako recalled that time. For some reason, Touko just kept on wanting to come to class no matter what. And the fact that she wasn't here is strange hence all the talking.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Matsudaira-san is probably just resting or something." Kanako said confidently and began to fix her things onto her desk.

"Wow…something between you two has changed huh?" Kanako immediately looked at Noriko who just smiled and walked to her seat. Kanako could only smile at herself.

_Yes…I believe something has changed…_

...

The days rolled on by but Touko still didn't come to school. It was at that point where Kanako was starting to be visibly worried. She had asked Noriko if she knew anything but her friend said that she wanted some answers as much as Kanako did. Kanako had even tried to call Touko's house but she could bring herself to dial the numbers. Something was still holding her back, and Kanako didn't like it.

It was Friday and Touko still hadn't come to class. Everyone in her class had their theories ranging from terminal illnesses to kidnapping to even UFO abduction (some of these girls really need to get out more.) Kanako herself was trying to piece together what happened but thought that speculation without proof is pointless. So she just did the only thing she could do, pray for Touko. At the end of the day, Kanako went off to the Mary statue to do just that. On the way, she saw Yumi who had a gloomy expression.

"Yumi-sama." Kanako called to Yumi effectively snapping the girl from her trance. She looked around to see who it was and saw Kanako, her expression became even more depressed. This worried Kanako.

"Yumi-sama?" Kanako walked closer to Yumi. The girl smiled at Kanako.

"Hi there Kanako-chan…What's…up?" Now Kanako knew something was wrong.

"Is there something you would like to tell me Yumi-sama?" Kanako put on a serious face, the kind of face that she never thought that she would ever show Yumi again.

"Umm…" Yumi was thinking of an excuse to tell Kanako.

"Is it about Matsudaira-san?" Kanako's words made Yumi flinch. Her idol looked at her weakly. Yumi saw the concern in Kanako's eyes.

"Alright…but not here." Yumi took Kanako's hand and walked off.

...

Yumi led Kanako inside the small chapel which everyone who reads this fic should be very familiar with by now. She sat down and motioned Kanako to do the same. The silence was ear-splitting. Kanako started to move her mouth to break the eerie silence until Yumi finally spoke.

"Touko-chan…hasn't been coming to school lately. Hasn't she?" Yumi said while looking down. Kanako was getting scared. What could have happened? And why is she so bothered by it?

"No…" was all Kanako could say. Yumi nodded. She looked at Kanako and told her what happened.

"Yesterday…My brother was out on an errand and found Touko-chan walking in the streets by herself. He asked what was wrong and saw a blank expression from Touko-chan. Not knowing what to do, he led her to our house. I was stunned to see her, not to mention our parents. I mean, Yuuki just went out to buy some snacks and came home with a girl." Yumi tried to lighten the mood by laughing a bit…Kanako wasn't laughing. Yumi saw this and decided to continue.

"After we had dinner I led Touko up to my room where she told me what happened to her." Yumi gave a heavy sigh.

"It turns out that Touko-chan had always been detatched from her parents. They were always too busy with worked and ended up simply ignoring their own daughter. She felt like she wasn't even part of the family anymore. If it wasn't for the servants and Onee-sama, she would have gone insane a long time ago." Kanako digested Yumi's words. She thought that that was the reason why she was so nosy and always wanted to be part of something. Because she wasn't part of anything in her own home. Kanako gritted her teeth. She cursed herself for hating Touko so much while not even knowing the reasons why she did what she did. The poor girl only wanted to belong. Yumi continued her story.

"It was a few days ago that whatever balance she had in her home completely shattered. Touko-chan found out that…that she wasn't really her parents' daughter. She was adopted. She didn't tell me how she found out and I didn't want to push the issue. That's the last thing that Touko-chan needed. I was completely shocked when she told me about it. I could only imagine how painful it was for poor Touko-chan." Yumi said holding Kanako's hand.

"And where is she now?" Kanako asks.

"She spent the night at my room but I asked Onee-sama to take care of her for now and she agreed. Touko-chan is at Onee-sama's right now. Though I don't know when she'll be back." Yumi replied.

"I see. I'm glad she's not in any danger." Kanako said in relief. Yumi was surprised and smiled. Kanako noticed this.

"Why are you smiling Yumi-sama?" Kanako asked, a blush forming on her face.

"I'm just glad that you care enough about Touko-chan to worry about her like that." Yumi squeezed Kanako's hand while saying that. Kanako wasn't sure why she her heart was starting to race. Was it because Yumi was squeezing her hand? Or is it because of Yumi's words? Kanako wasn't sure. But she looked away as she sensed that she was blushing again.

"You know what Kanako-chan?" Kanako looked back at Yumi.

"What is it Yumi-sama." Kanako asks.

"After what happened. I finally decided on something I have been sure of for a long time. I want to be there for Touko-chan. Not only because of what I had learned about her but also because it has been something I've wanted to do for a while now. I want to ask her to be my Petit Soeur." Yumi said with one of her trademark smiles.

"Are you sure about this Yumi-sama?" Kanako asked her idol. Yumi nodded and leaned closer to Kanako, which made the taller girl blush even more.

"I want you to be there for her as well." Kanako went wide-eyed at Yumi's request.

"Me? But why?" Kanako didn't know what Yumi was thinking. Yumi drew back, much to Kanako's relief.

"You two are friends now right? So it's only natural for friends to be there for each other." Yumi said cheerfully.

"Me…and Matsudaira-san?" Kanako blushed when she heared what she just said. Yumi nodded. Kanako considered denying what Yumi was implying but she knew in her heart that there was no longer any hate for Touko. There was no reason why the two of them can't be friends.

"I will…try." Kanako whispered.

"Thank you Kanako-chan. I'm sure Touko-chan will be very happy when she finds out." Yumi cheerily said. Kanako could not object to Yumi after seeing how happy she was to know that she and Touko are not enemies anymore.

...

That night, Kanako was staring at the sky from her room. She took this time to recall all that had happened up to this point: The practices for the play, the school festival, the amusement park, the motorcycle incident, the time she slapped Touko in front of the chapel, the elections, and what she learned in that chapel. All of those seemingly unrelated things drew her and her former nemesis closer. The people that cared for both of them tore down the walls that they built up because of the inability to understand each other. For the first time, Kanako was glad that someone meddled in her affairs. She lost an enemy, and gained a friend. Kanako smiled at the beautiful night sky.

"All that remains is for that girl to come back to those who care for her. I will be waiting there along with them. Come back to us…Touko-san."

...

The next few days were more or less normal for Kanako. It was early winter and Touko still hasn't come to school yet, but at least she knows that Touko is in no real danger. The only other person who knew the truth about Touko was Noriko, and that was because Yumi blurted something about it during one of their meetings and she ended up telling the Yamayurikai what happened Yumi got one hell of a lecture from Sachiko afterwards. Kanako was praying to the Mary statue before going off to class when...

"Hello there…" Someone called out to her. Kanako turned to see who it was. It was the person she was waiting for. Kanako smiled…a genuine smile.

"Welcome back…" Kanako said. Touko smiled to the taller girl and walked up to her.

"Jeez…I've been gone for a little while and you turn into a slob? Look! Your collar is all crooked." Touko proceeded to fix Kanako's collar. Kanako didn't object.

Snap! Snap! A camera went from a distance. Tsutako was in perfect position to capture this…extraordinary moment though something was bothering the photographer.

"I feel like I've seen this before…" Tsutako pondered. But as she did, the two girls already went off to their classroom.

...

Ever had the experience of having your DVD player suddenly freeze up the movie you were watching? Well…the whole class was frozen in place at what they saw. First, Touko was back (effectively disproving any crazy theories that her classmates have accumulated through the days.) Second, Touko was with Kanako. Apparently, their classmates didn't really care about the second thing right now as they swarmed around Touko and asked her some of the most ridiculous questions she had ever heared (UFO abduction and probing). Kanako backed away from the chaos, somewhat concerned for Touko but she noticed that Noriko was walking towards her.

"Nice to see that Touko-san is back." Noriko told her tall friend as they watched Touko get drilled with questions by their classmates. Kanako nodded.

"Yes…safe and sound." Noriko was glad that Kanako no longer held anything bad against Touko.

"Hey Kanako-san." Noriko said.

"Yes?" Kanako turned to her friend.

"Wanna eat lunch together with Touko later?" Noriko said with a sly smile. Kanako was a bit surprised at Noriko's request. Sure, she wanted to become closer to Touko now but…

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for something like that yet…" Kanako said. Noriko raised a brow.

"Kanako-san…your acting like it's a marriage meeting. It's just lunch you know…" Noriko smiled when she got a blush from Kanako.

"Alright then…" Kanako said softly while maintaining her blush.

...

Touko and Noriko's usual eating spot was quite the sight to behold. Thanks to the addition of Kanako, the bench where they usually eat lunch was a bit more…crowded. Noriko had set it up so that Touko sat in the middle and Kanako and Noriko sat at her sides but because it was a bit crowded, Kanako and Touko ended up sitting pretty close to one another.

"This isn't working…maybe we should find somewhere with more space." Touko pleaded. Getting THIS close to Kanako after getting back to school wasn't unwanted but it was a bit sudden.

"Nonsense. It doesn't bother me much." Noriko countered. Touko couldn't decide whether to curse or thank Noriko for this situation. Kanako simply ate her lunch quietly. The two other girls noticed this.

"Are you okay Kanako-san?" Noriko asked. Kanako looked at them wide eyed and her chopsticks still in her mouth. Touko swore to herself that it was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"Umm…yes, I'm alright." Kanako replied.

"I see…So, now that the two of you are no longer enemies, it calls for a celebration." Noriko said calmly. The two other girls just sat there trying to register what their friend just said.

"Celebrate?" Touko asked. Kanako also had a questioning look on her face as well.

"That's right. The Yamayurikai Christmas party is coming up soon and it'll be only a matter of time before Yumi-sama invites you two. So, we'll celebrate then." Noriko said with a smile.

"The Christmas party huh?" Touko said before eating some more rice.

"You seem disappointed? Did you expect something more along the lines of a date?" Touko nearly chocked when she heard that. Kanako was just frozen there in place. Yeah, Noriko has two new toys to play with this Christmas.

...

Update finished! Please R&R if you can.


	13. Chapter 12

This is the 'Dark Knight' special edition Update! Hence! All the female characters will be wearing Poison Ivy's costu--What? They can't? What do you mean lawsuit?!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything on this fic that can be used against me in a court of law.

...

It was December and the weather was deceptively cold. It wasn't snowing for some reason but it WAS cold. And the people acted accordingly, wearing heavier coats and such. Kanako was walking to school and was wearing the standard Lilian coat though she was also wearing a scarf. It was a gift to her by her younger sister last christmas and quickly became Kanako's favorite. She reached the main gate where several of her schoolmates were arriving as well. She saw Yumi and Sachiko praying at the Mary Statue. She didn't disturb them and said her own prayer. Sachiko noticed the tall girl and motioned to Yumi. They both waited for Kanako to finish. Kanako faced her two seniors with a fresh smile (yes, even Sachiko).

"Gokigenyo Sachiko-sama, Yumi-sama...or should I say, Rosa Chinensis." Kanako bowed after saying that. Yumi giggled slightly and Sachiko just smiled.

"Gokigenyo Kanako-chan." Sachiko nodded her head to acknowledge Kanako's greeting.

"Gokigenyo Kanako-chan. How are things?" Yumi asked Kanako.

"Well...aside from the cold. Everything is fine." Kanako said as she adjusted her scarf. Yumi noticed how Kanako kept the scarf very close to her.

"That scarf seems very important to you. Is it a gift from someone." Yumi asks with her multi-purpose smile. Kanako nodded.

"Yes. It was a gift from the younger sister last year. It is very dear to me." Kanako replied. The three girls soon went to their respective classes.

...

Kanako entered her classroom and quickly fixed her things, making sure that her scarf was safely put in the compartment under her desk. Noriko and Touko soon walked up to Kanako. The tall girl noticed that her friends were arguing...well, she noticed that Touko was complaining about something.

"Noriko-san! I swear! If you tell her I'm gonna--" Touko tried to stop Noriko.

"Hey Kanako-san. Wanna hear something funny?" Noriko asked Kanako with a sly smile. Kanako was confused with the situation and looked at Touko. The drill-haired girl simply blushed and looked away while muttering something under her breath.

"What is it?" Kanako asked.

"Well, Touko-san was taking a walk yesterday and decided to go to the park. She was just admiring the view when suddenly a little boy bumped into her. Touko looked at the boy and asked if he was okay. The boy stuck his tounge out at Touko-san and slapped her on the rear. Touko went postal and chased the boy but what she didn't know is that he had a lot of friends there and they all ended up chasing Touko-san out of the park." Noriko quickly started to giggle again as she imagines Touko being mobbed by a bunch of kids.

"I don't know what was wrong with those kids. Honestly, if they are the future then there is no more hope for Japan." Touko said, still flustered. Noriko and Touko quickly noticed that Kanako wasn't laughing. In fact, she had quite a serious face on. She turned to look at Touko directly in the eye. Touko was surprised at this.

"Wh--what?" Touko stuttered.

"Did you tell those childrens parents?" Kanako asked with a stern voice.

"Excuse me?" Touko did a doubletake on Kanako's reaction.

"Well...it's obvious that those children were not taught enough dicipline by their parents and..." Kanako went on to rant about how the carelessness of parents today is the reason for the kids turning out the way they are. Touko and Noriko looked at each other and were in complete disbelief with Kanako reaction on something that was meant to be a joke.

"I think she needs some work with her sense of humor." Noriko said.

"Yeah...It would have been better if she had just laughed at me for a while and just move on." Touko said. Kanako glared at them both when she noticed that the two girls were not paying attention to her.

"Are you two even listening? You two need to focus more. Your attention spans are terrible." Kanako scolded her friends.

"Yes mother..." The two girls said. Which earned them another lecture from Kanako until their teacher finally arrived.

...

It was lunch time but Noriko excused herself saying that she wanted to spend some time with Shimako for a change. That left Kanako and Touko by themselves and heading outside to their usual eating spot. The two girls had become used to doing things together. It is, afterall, much less stressful being friends than it is being enemies. The two girls stepped outside but failed to remember something that should have been obvious.

"It's feezing outside..." Touko said. Kanako nodded. It would be stupid to eat outside with just their school uniforms on, and it was to bothersome to eat in their coats.

"I guess we'll just have to eat in the cafeteria" Kanako said. Her companion nodded and the two headed to the cafeteira. What the didn't expect was that everyone else had the same idea. Touko sighed. Nearly everyone who wears a Lilian highschool uniform was here.

"Now what?" Touko said, looking at her tall friend.

"There's no other choice. Follow me." Kanako said. Touko raised a brow but decided to trust Kanako. She didn't want to eat on the floor and she didn't want to starve. Kanako led Touko outside of the school building and to a place that Touko never thought Kanako might think of eating lunch.

"The greenhouse? Your kidding right?" Touko turned to her friend who just nodded and opened the door.

"Think about it Matsudaira-san. This is a greenhouse. That means that it isn't cold here and most students wouldn't think of eating lunch here." Kanako said as she took a seat on one of the small brick walls of the greenhouse. Touko sat beside her.

"Well...I guess. How'd you think of eating here anyway Hosokawa-san?" Touko asked her friend as she opened her bento. Kanako paused for a moment.

"I...have always eaten here. As you know, I'm not the most sociable person on earth so I eat lunch here so I don't have to be bothered by anyone else." Kanako said as she opened her bento. Touko hummed for a bit while getting her chopsticks.

"Well, at least now you don't have to be alone anymore, right?" Touko said before she began eating her bento. Kanako stared at Touko for a moment and smiled.

"Right...I'm not alone anymore..." Kanako said as they both ate their lunch in the greenhouse.

...

It was the end of school and everyone was getting ready to go home. Noriko had to bail early because the Yamayurikai has to plan for their annual christmas party. Touko was fixing her things when she noticed something fall from Kanako's desk. It was a scarf. Kanako didn't seem to notice it and was about to step on the scarf.

"Hey!" Touko quickly grabbed Kanako's arm. Kanako was surprised by Touko's sudden action.

"Huh? What is it? What's wrong?" Kanako asked with a slightly scared face. Touko regretted scaring Kanako like that. She sighed and picked up the scarf.

"This...You almost stepped on it." Touko gestured to the scarf in her hand. Kanako's eyes widened at what she had almost done. She carefully took the scarf from Touko's hand. She held it tightly on her chest and looked at Touko.

"Thank you Matsudaira-san." Kanako said with as much sincerity as she could. Touko blushed a bit at Kanako's gratitude.

"Sure...no problem. That thing seems pretty important to you." Touko pointed to the scarf. Kanako nodded.

"Yes. My little sister gave it to me last year on Christmas. She had saved up some of her allowance for weeks just to buy me this." Kanako said.

"Hmmm...I see. Good thing you didn't step on it then huh?" Touko said with a smile.

"Yes...Thank you again Matsudaira-san." Kanako said.

"Touko..." Touko said softly.

"Huh?" Kanako said a bit confused.

"You can just call me by my first name. It kinda feels weird when your being polite like that." Touko said blushing, her eyes were shifting around. Kanako herself was blushing a bit at Touko's suggestion but decided that she was right.

"Alright then...Touko...san..." Kanako said while looking away from Touko. The drill haired girl blushed even more after hearing her name being said by Kanako.

"Okay then..." Touko said as she started to walk toward the door.

"Kanako..." Kanako said softly. Touko froze at Kanako's voice. She slowly turned to see the tall girl with quite a prominent blush herself.

"Excuse me?" Touko barely managed to say. She had a pretty good idea what Kanako was saying but...she couldn't believe it.

"It would be fine if...if you called me by my first name as well..." Kanako said. Touko felt like melting away right there.

"Umm...if you say so...Ka...Ka...Kaa..." Touko struggled to say Kanako's name. Kanako herself was a bit nervous thought she couldn't understand why. Touko closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Kanako just stood there waiting for Touko to make the next move. Touko finally opened her eyes and smiled.

"Let's go home..." She gestured to the door. "...Kanako-san."

...

For several days now, the war between Kanako and Touko had ended. If anyone in school noticed the sudden change in the way Touko and Kanako treated each other, they were doing one hell of a job hiding it. Afterall, they gained somewhat of a fame in being each others nemesis, and now they just made up? The whole thing sounded kind of dubious to some, saying that the whole thing will pass and they will return to the way they always were…enemies. What the general population in Lilian didn't know was that Kanako and Touko didn't simply stop being enemies overnight. Far from it, it had taken time and effort; most of which was thanks to the new Rosa Chinensis Elect: Yumi Fukuzawa. But, as Satou Sei had once said "It didn't matter what other people thought they knew, just as long as the people that really matter to me knew the truth." The same thing applied to the situation between the two people this fic focuses on. Touko didn't care what other people thought, that her truce with Kanako was only temporary. And Kanako? She never cared what people she didn't know think of her…That's just the way she is. But…there were those who were more interested in their current situation than most. The prime example of which was the proverbial bane in the existence of several Yamayurikai members both present and past: The Lilian Kawaraban.

...

Touko came in the classroom to several lingering stares from her classmates. She thought it was kind of weird but she wasn't in the mood to dig any deeper. She said her greetings to Kanako who just nodded to her. Touko wondered what was bothering her friend.

"Hey, Kanako-san…" Touko nudged her friend. "Are you sick or something?"

For some reason, her classmates started to whisper amongst themselves after they heard her call Kanako by her first name. She looked around and her classmates evaded her gaze. Now Touko was really freaked out at what was going on. It wasn't until she saw what they were holding that Touko began to really wonder.

"The Lilian Kawaraban?" Touko asked to herself. What could be the connection between her classmates behavior and the school paper? Her question was answered as Noriko approached the two girls. She handed Touko a copy of the Kawaraban.

"Looks like you tow were a lot more famous than anyone thought." Noriko said as Touko's jaw gaped at what she saw in the paper. It was right in the front page. It was an article about her and Kanako.

"Long time nemeses Matsudaira Touko and Hosokawa Kanako sign a peace treaty? Is this for real or merely a bomb waiting to explode? Our very own analysts share their thoughts." Touko read out the article out loud which made Kanako slump over her desk burying her face in her arms. Her two friends thought it best to just leave her alone for now. Noriko then faced Touko.

"Didn't even know they HAD analysts." Touko shrugged. Touko knew that Noriko was trying to lighten up the mood but it wasn't really working.

"That's not really the issue here now is it?" Touko said as she read the rest of the article. It was standard Lilian Kawaraban material, meaning the truth with a bit of imagination. Needless to say, the latter of the Kawaraban formula made some people angry at times. The article stated that, after the school festival, she and Kanako were "suspiciously" on good terms. The "analysts" say that it might have been a rouse to gain favor from the next Rosa Chinensis (Yumi) in order for one of them to be her petit soeur. That part didn't make any sense to Touko because Kanako didn't want to be Yumi's soeur and Touko herself never even thought about it. Just goes to show how misinformation can lead to pretty big mistakes. The problem was that it really didn't matter if that was the truth or not, what mattered was that it was out there. Touko took her seat and started to fix her things. This intrigued Noriko who thought that Touko would just explode and go on a warpath with the newspaper. Kanako was still unmoving; no one knows what her thoughts about the whole thing were.

"You won't take action?" Noriko asked Touko. Her friends looked at her and smiled.

"I will…but not now. Besides, when I do take action, I know that I will win. And that is because I have something that the school newspaper doesn't have." Touko confidently said.

"And what might that be?" Noriko asks. Touko folded the copy of the paper and put it in her bag.

"The truth." Was all she said.

...

Lunchtime rolled along and the girls got an interesting guest. It was Rosa Chinensis Elect herself: Yumi. Judging from how she was breathing heavily, she must have ran all the way to their classroom the second lunch break started. She didn't even bother to bring her bento with her either (classic Yumi). Touko sighed and approached Yumi.

"Is there something I can help you with Yumi-sama." Touko asked. Noriko and Kanako approached as well. Yumi looked at the three girls.

"Did you all read the article in the Kawaraban?" Yumi asked with her typical overhyped worry. The girls looked at each other. Kanako was the one who answered.

"Yes Yumi-sama. We did." Kanako said.

"And? Aren't you two going to complain? It obviously wasn't true." Yumi said. Touko sighed heavily at Yumi's oversight. I will also sigh heavily if the readers didn't figure out what that oversight is by now.

"Yumi-sama…aren't you the one in the best position to do that?" Touko asked. Yumi stalled.

"What? Why? Because I'm in the Yamayurikai?" Yumi innocently stated. Touko thought that Yumi was denser than lead at that point.

"It's because the new chief editor of the Lilian Kawaraban is your classmate." Noriko stated saving Touko the bother. Yumi blinked a few times then facepalmed at her own idiocy.

"Mami-san…" Yumi uttered. The three girls nodded. If this was how Yumi was going to run the Yamayurikai next year then…Let's all hope that the other Roses pick up the slack. Yumi recomposed herself.

"I'll talk to Mami-san about it right now." Yumi started for the hallway but was stopped by Touko's hand.

"We'll go with you. If they are going to revise their article then they should at least know the truth." Touko stated. Yumi looked at Kanako and the tall girl nodded.

"Alright…let's go together then." Yumi said with a smile. And the three girls went on their way leaving Noriko behind. The En Bouton sighed.

"I guess I'll see what Shimako-san is up to." Noriko said to herself.

...

The three girls arrived in the office of the Kawaraban. Yumi knocked on the door a few times but no one answered. She almost gave up until Kanako pointed out that she could hear typing (Kanako heared that?!) Yumi followed Kanako's advice and opened the door. There was the new chief editor typing away like there was not tomorrow. Mami had a bandana on her head that read "Fight!" in kanji. Yumi approached Mami and touched her shoulder.

"Whaaaaaaaa!" The girl yelled sending Yumi and the rest back a few steps. Mami turned to see who it was and saw Yumi along with her top story (Kanako and Touko).

"Oh Yumi-san…what's up?" Mami said in a casual tone.

"What's up? Do you have any idea how wrong your article about Kanako-chan and Touko-chan was?" Yumi protested at Mami's inability to grasp to concept of fact checking.

"Why? What's wrong with it?" Mami asked. Kanako stepped forward and stared Mami down. Senior or not, Kanako was still bigger than Mami. And that intimidated the girl a bit.

"All of it." Kanako coldly stated. Yumi and Touko were worried that Kanako might do something drastic, let's not even think of what must be going though Mami's head. Yumi stepped in front of Kanako.

"What she meant was that you got a lot of the facts wrong." Yumi said as Touko tried to calm down Kanako.

"We just call it like we see it. Besides, our analysts are pretty good." Mami said. Touko glared at Mami. She wasn't in the mood to take any of this either.

"Well, your analysts were wrong. Who are those people anyway?" Touko stated.

"Sorry, but they stay anonymous." Mami declared.

"Fine! But at least retract your previous claims." Yumi said. Mami thought about it for a few moments.

"Alright. But on one condition." Mami said.

"And what might that be?" Touko asks.

"And exclusive with you and Hosokawa-san. If you want the truth out so much then I would like to hear it from you directly." Mami said with a sly smile. Kanako and Touko looked at each other.

"If that's what it takes…then so be it." Kanako said.

"Same here. It's better than having lies spread around." Touko said. Mami clapped.

"Great! Then let's get started!" Mami said as she got a pen a paper. The three girls wondered if this was her plan all along but shrugged at the thought of Mami being this cunning.

And so it went, the next week Lilian Kawaraban retracted their previous claim and printed out the impromptu interview with Kanako and Touko. They say that it was the most popular issue they had all year fueling Yumi's speculation that it was Mami's plan all along. And if it was, well…let's just say that there will be a bit more headaches for the Yamayurikai in the future. Touko and Kanako had learned just how their past hatred for each other was perceived be their peers: That it was absolute, that they couldn't change. But they did. And if the rest of Lilian can't cope with it, then too bad for them. Because Kanako and Touko didn't have any plans for being enemies again anytime soon.

...

And that is how the bell 'doth toll. Please R&R.


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything on this fic that can be used against me in a court of law.**

...

The days bore down on the girls of Lilian as Christmas came closer and closer. The days were getting shorter and the nights were getting colder. Everyone who knew about the holiday was getting into the spirit, even though only a small percentage of them actually knew about the real meaning of Christmas. But that aside, the general feel good atmosphere was infectious. Even one Matsudaira Touko was feeling the holiday spirit. Said girl with holiday spirit was now wandering around the market district trying to finish up her Christmas shopping list. Why did she wait this long before starting to buy presents? Well…

"I can't believe that I forgot about buying any presents this year!!" Touko cursed herself. Indeed…normally, one would face palm to Touko's apparent idiocy. But, once you take into account the drama she underwent before December and the sheer elation that she experienced after because of her new friendship with Kanako, I guess one could let her absentmindedness slide…If only this once.

Touko was looking at her list. Thankfully, she had already finished shopping for her…family. Adopted or not, they DID take her in and raised her…sort of. She had also bought present for the servants. Nothing fancy, just little somethings that Touko bought to remind them of how grateful she was of them for taking care of her for so long. Today, she was on a mission to buy gifts for her friends. The top three on her list shouldn't be much of a mystery for the readers. Touko looked at her list and decided to get started. The first target…

"A gift for Sachiko-sama…" Whether she chose Sachiko as the first because of her loyalty towards her cousin or whether it was because she thought that Sachiko would be the hardest one to get a gift. Either way, Touko mentally prepared herself to go through the gauntlet.

...

Similarly, on a different part of the city, Kanako was finishing up her Christmas shopping list. Unlike Touko, she was much more responsible and finished most of her shopping earlier. She managed to buy all the gifts for her family including one for her father. Her younger sister insisted that Kanako buy their father a gift and the tall girl had no apparent ability to say no to her sister. She had even bought gifts for her friends at school…and that is also the very reason why she is still out on the street. That is because she had not anticipated that she would gain a new friend so late in the year. Yes…that's right, the only person she is shopping for today is none other than Touko.

Kanako has been trying to come up with a gift that would suit the drill haired girl. After long deliberation, and the fact that she knew very little about Touko, Kanako decided to just give her new friend something simple. A bracelet. What kind of bracelet? Well, that is the million dollar question. She had combed several stores already but to no alvail.

"Why is this so difficult? I didn't have this much trouble when looking for everyone else's gifts." Kanako complained to herself. She had seen several nice looking bracelets but none that she thought would be nice on Touko.

Kanako was about to take a break and was looking around for a nice café to recompose herself. As she was scanning the area she saw a small stand which sells jewelry. She came over to take a closer look and saw that the jewelry on display are no where near as extravagant as the ones she saw in the other stores. In fact, the bracelets there were pretty much just metal bands with simple designs.

"Do you see something you like young lady?" The apparent owner of the stall said. The owner was an old man, probably in his seventies at least. Kanako hesitated for a moment but decided that now was not the time for her distaste for men. Kanako took a deep breath before speaking.

"Yes…I'm trying to find a bracelet for a friend." Kanako said without looking at the old man. Unknown to her, the man smiled.

"I see…a new friend?" The old man said. Kanako was a bit put off by the nosiness of the old man but thought that it would be rude not to answer a simple question.

"Yes…We only became friends earlier this month…" Kanako paused for a moment. "We…used to be enemies." The old man raised a brow at Kanako's words.

"Well, that's nice…" The old man laughed. Kanako took half a step back. The old man reached under the display table and pulled out something.

"Here…" The old man said with a smile as he reached out something to Kanako. The tall girl hesitantly put her hand out to meet the old man's. She felt something cold and hard in her hand.

"This is…" Kanako stared at the object for a few moments. It was a silver bracelet that had beveled gold borders. The gold borders crisscrossed at two places directly opposite each other. There was also something engraved on the bracelet.

"Arigatou…" Kanako read out. When she looked at the other side, there was also something written on that side of the bracelet "Thank You…"

The engravements were gold plated to make them more prominent in the design. Kanako was taken by the simple yet somehow powerful design of the object she held in her hand. She looked at the old man who was smiling as if he had given the bracelet to her own granddaughter.

"Do you like it?" The old man said. Kanako could only nod.

"It is very beautiful sir…" Kanako said.

"I'm sure your new friend will like it. I just hope that it fits her." The old man chuckled at what he said. Kanako also considered this but after some inspection; she found that it would fit Touko quite well.

"I would like to buy this sir…how much is it?" Kanako asked. The old man slowly shook his head.

"You can have it…free of charge." The old man said with a smile. Kanako was taken by surprise.

"What do you mean?" Kanako said in confusion.

"Well, seeing how happy that bracelet made you. I can't possibly charge you for that now can I?" The old man chuckled again.

_Happy?_ Kanako thought to herself. She didn't understand. Did she smile without noticing it? No…that couldn't be it…

"What do you mean I looked happy? I don't recall smiling…" Kanako asked the old man. The man coughed a bit before answering.

"I saw it in your eyes…" The old man stated.

_My eyes?_ Kanako thought to herself. The old man continued.

"They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. You can learn a lot from someone's eyes if you know how to look. And what I saw in your eyes when you were inspecting that bracelet was akin to someone who had finally arrived home to their family after a very long time. Your eyes had the look of relief, contentment…and love." The old man said with a clear voice.

_Relief? Contentment? Love?_ Kanako was confused at the old man's words. The old man noticed Kanako struggle a bit with what he just said and laughed. This caught Kanako's attention.

"Just consider it as a Christmas gift from Santa then." The old man joked. Kanako blinked a few times.

"I can really have this?" Kanako asks. The old man nodded. Kanako looked at the bracelet in her hand. She had found her gift for Touko. Maybe this was what one would call a Christmas miracle. It sure seemed that way to Kanako. She looked at the old man who was warmly smiling at her.

"Thank you…" Kanako bowed to the old man after saying that.

"I hope your friend likes it…" The old man said with a smile.

"Yes…I hope she does…" Kanako said while clutching the bracelet above her chest. A smile creeping in her lips.

...

"Christmas party?" Touko was wondering on what Noriko just told her and Kanako. The tall girl seemed just as surprised. It was the last day of school before Christmas vacation and Noriko wanted to tell her friends about their invitation before she headed to the Rose Mansion. They were currently in the classroom preparing to go home.

"You heard me. I said that the two of you are invited to the Yamayurikai Christmas party this year." Noriko said in her usual tone. Her two friends looked at each other and then back at Noriko.

"But…why? We're not in the Yamayurikai." Kanako said. Noriko really didn't understand why these two were thinking the way that they are right now. She sighed before answering.

"Well, with how much the two of you have been helping around the Rose Mansion especially if it concerns Yumi-sama, you might as well be." Noriko said with a slightly annoyed tone. She wondered why they couldn't just say 'Yes! Thank you for the invitation. We'll be sure to go.'

"Well I guess. Alright…I'm in." Touko said. She looked at her taller friend. Kanako looked away for a bit to consider the whole thing. On one hand, she really wasn't part of the Yamayurikai. On the other hand, it would be rude not to go. Plus she can give out the Christmas presents for her friends there as well.

"I guess I'll attend as well." Kanako finally said. Touko smiled. Noriko wondered why they took this long.

"Okay then. The party will be on the 22nd. It will start at 6:00pm and will end…when everyone wants to go home." Noriko said to her friends. She saw that they made their respective mental notes for the party. Noriko gave a smile to her friends.

_That's the day after tomorrow. Fine, it's plenty of time._ Touko thought.

_I should tell my parents as soon as possible._ Kanako thought.

"Well now, I'd better get going. We still have to finish up on the decorations for the party. Rei-sama said that she's baking a cake for the party." Noriko said.

"Cake?" Kanako asked. Despite her appearance, Kanako did have a bit of a sweet tooth. The prospect of a Christmas cake peaked her interest.

"Yes. Since this will be her last Christmas party here, Rei-sama decided that she might as well make it as memorable as she could." Noriko said.

"That makes sense…" Touko pointed out. Indeed, in a few short months, Rei and Sachiko will be graduating. Touko thought about the eventuality of Sachiko going away. She gave out a heavy sigh.

"You two can bring some food of your own if you want. Any other questions?" Noriko said though subliminally saying 'Can I go now?' Her two friends shook their heads.

"Good…See you two at the party." Noriko said as she waved to her friends who responded in kind. When Noriko was gone, Kanako and Touko looked at each other for a few moments. Silence filled the room, but it wasn't an awkward silence but a kind of calming kind of silence. The both smiled at each other as they have done so many times now…as when they first smiled at each other in GOKI-land. They knew that they started this year in odds with each other, but they will end the year as friends growing closer and closer to one another. Touko started to giggle. Kanako tipped her head to the side a bit.

"What is it?" Kanako asked in confusion.

"It's just that…a few months ago, we would never be caught dead talking and interacting the way we are now." Touko said. "But…I'm really glad that we can."

Kanako was a bit surprised. She had gotten so accustomed to being friends with Touko so quickly that she had forgotten how absurd the whole idea would have been a few months ago. A lot had changed between them. So many factors came into play for them to be the way they are now. And now, she was looking at the person that she once considered as her most hated enemy…who has become one of her dearest friends. She felt no anguish, no animosity, no hate, and no discomfort. It felt…right. The two of them stared at each other in the same way they did during the Drama Club's play though, at a much closer distance. They were completely lost in each other's eyes. Kanako felt like she was being drawn in by some unseen force, but she did not feel like resisting. Touko was feeling the same. They slowly drew closer to each other…

"See you next year! Merry Christmas!" One of their classmates yelled to the rest of the class still in the room. The sudden outburst snapped back both girls from their trance. They noticed a prominent blush in each other's cheeks as they came back to reality.

_What was that?_ Kanako thought to herself. She looked at Touko who was looking around the room. Kanako did the same. Thankfully, it didn't seem that anyone noticed. They both gave a sigh of relief.

_If Noriko-san saw that…_They both thought. They shrugged as a result. They once again looked at each other, their respective blushes have faded.

"Well…we should probably go ourselves huh?" Touko proposed. A hint of nervousness was in her voice.

"Yes…I guess we should." Kanako said.

...

It was the 22nd of December and there were almost no more people in Lilian except for some of the clubs who had their respetive Christmas parties. Touko was in school much earlier than the agreed time for the Yamayurikai party because the Drama Club was also having a party in one of the classrooms. Everyone was still wearing their school uniforms out of convenience, though I'm not sure of the ability of the Lilian school uniform to withstand the cold. Touko took this time to give out presents to her friends in the Drama Club and to once again celebrate their successful performance in the festival.

The Drama Club's party ended earlier than expected and everyone said their goodbyes as they all went on their separate ways. Touko stayed behind because she still had one more party to attend today as evident of her bag that still had some presents. Touko looked at her watch.

"Three hours early huh?" Touko said to herself. She really didn't know how to kill three hours. She looked around to find a place to crash for a while.

"Maybe…" Touko said to herself as she started walking. The destination: The Rose Mansion. It was a long shot but you can never know.

Touko arrived at the Rose Mansion and turned the knob.

"It's open?" Touko wondered. _Someone was already here?_

Touko opened the door. The quietly went up the stairs and saw that the meeting room's door was ajar. She peaked in and saw Yumi by herself preparing some tea.

_Yumi-sama?_ Touko wondered why Yumi was here so early. Touko knocked on the door which startled Yumi and almost made her spill the tea. The soon-to-be Rosa Chinensis turned to see who it was.

"Touko-chan! Why are you here so early?" Yumi said in disbelief.

"I could ask you the same thing. The Drama Club had its Christmas Party today as well. What's your excuse?" Touko said.

"Umm…I wanted to give a present to someone but…He's not there yet…" Yumi said in a slightly disappointed tone. Touko cocked a brow.

"He?" Touko asked. Yumi flinched and gave a nervous laugh. She saw that Touko wasn't exactly going to let her laugh it off.

"Fine…I'll tell you about it." Yumi said. She motioned a chair for Touko.

_Ooohh…a story._ Touko thought to herself. The two pigtail girls spent the rest of the time discussing about Yumi's apparent dilemma.

...

"So…This Ryou guy was the same one who was riding that motorcycle?" Touko asked. Yumi nodded. Touko hummed.

"Do you…Like him?" Touko asked with a sly smile. Yumi nearly fell over from her chair…which would have been quite an impressive feat.

"Wha—wha…? No! We—we're just f-friends! Friends!" Yumi frantically defended.

"Right…" Touko flatly said. It wasn't everyday that she gets to push Yumi's buttons. Yumi frowned and thought of a counter-attack.

"Well…have you made any progress with Kanako-chan!?" Yumi said. This time, Touko nearly did the impossible feat of falling over her chair. Yumi smiled with the success of her counter.

"Well…I think that I still have a long way to go but…I don't really want to rush it. I mean, we've only become friends for a few days." Touko said with her head a bit down.

"I'm happy for you then." Yumi cheerfully said.

"Huh?" Touko sat up straight and looked at Yumi.

"I mean, it has only been a short time and you two have already become so close. The two of you have a natural chemistry that you don't even know about. If this keeps up, I have no doubt that she will eventually recognize and return your feelings." Yumi said. Touko was amazed at Yumi's words.

"Wow…that was surprisingly insightful of you Yumi-sama." Touko said.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Yumi glared at Touko…which still looked kinda cute. They both laughed afterwards and soon enough, the rest of the ones invited started showing up.

...

Shimako arrived with Noriko early and conversed with Yumi and Touko who were already there. Kanako arrived soon afterwards and greeted the others. Sachiko arrived at 6:00 on the dot. Yoshino arrived but was accompanied by a younger girl instead of Rei. Yoshino introduced the girl as Nana, a Middle school student in Lilian and Yoshino's prospected Petit Soeur. When the others asked why Rei was late, Yoshino said that the cake was taking longer than expected. Rei didn't arrive until 6:55pm with a huge cake. Everyone, including Yoshino wondered how she managed to get that big cake in the Rose mansion on her own. Everyone thought that it was a true testament to Rei's sheer power and martial arts training. With everyone accounted for, there was only one thing left to do…

"Let's begin the party then." Sachiko said with a smile. You really didn't expect her to yell 'Let's PARTY!' did you?

The party itself was pretty much the same thing as regular parties. Singing, eating, gift exchange were the norm though, considering this IS Lilian, it was much more polite. Yoshino showed off Nana like a new pet and declared that she will be her Soeur next year. Rei decided to mess with Yoshino and hugged Nana for a while saying that she was very cute.

"Rei-chan! She's mine!" Yoshino yelled at her cousin. Nana herself was starting to regret coming to this party. Everyone else just laughed.

It was also announced that Rei won't be attending Lilian University much to Yoshino's dismay.

"Yoshino has to learn that she can live life even without me." Rei said. Yoshino stuck her tongue out at Rei and grabbed Nana again.

"Rei-chan no baka!" Yoshino said. The cousins were providing most of the entertainment at the party.

Sachiko also announced something. She said that she was going to attend Lilian University and that her engagement with Kashiwagi Suguru could very well be cancelled. Both of which made Yumi very happy.

"Wow…do you think that your parents would agree to revoke your engagement with Kashiwagi-san?" Rei asked her friend.

"At first…No, I always thought that they were doing it for the good of the company since the Kashiwagi group is very influential. But someone made me realize that my parents love me and will prioritize my happiness over the company." Sachiko said with a loving voice. Everyone looked at Yumi. She held her hands up and shook her head.

"Don't look at me. I wasn't the one who said that to Onee-sama." Yumi said. They all turned to Sachiko again.

"So…who was it then?" Rei asked. Sachiko closed her eyes.

"It's…a secret." Sachiko said with a sly smile. Everyone gave annoyed stares but decided to let it go. It was Christmas afterall.

The finale of the party was the gift exchange. Everyone in the Yamayurikai gave gifts to each other. Sachiko gave a gift to Touko as well. Yumi gave gifts to Kanako and Touko. Noriko also gave her two friends gifts. Yoshino gave Nana a gift but Nana apologized saying that she didn't anticipate buying Yoshino a gift. Rei laughed at Yoshino's face. Kanako and Touko gave Yumi and Noriko their gifts as well but they didn't give each other their gifts.

_Why? It's in my bag. Why can't I just give it to her?_ Touko thought to herself.

_This is unusual. Why do I feel so nervous?_ Kanako thought.

"Is that all the gifts?" Sachiko asked. Everyone looked at each other and then back to Sachiko.

"Alright then. I declare this year's Yamayurikai Christmas party is over. Merry Christmas to you all." Sachiko said. Everyone applauded.

They were all making their way to the gate. Rei and Yoshino were trying to take Nana away from each other. Shimako and Noriko were walking together and so were Yumi and Sachiko. Touko and Kanako were walking together but did not speak. There was an awkward atmosphere between them.

"I'm going on ahead everyone!" Yumi declared.

"Huh? Why the hurry Yumi-san?" Yoshino asked while still pulling on Nana.

"umm…I…uhh…" Yumi stuttered to find a suitable excuse.

"Yumi still has one more gift to deliver right?" Sachiko said saving Yumi.

"Oh…who is it for?" Shimako asks. Yumi smiled a bit.

"It's…a secret!" Yumi replied copying Sachiko's earlier response. And with that, she waved to her friends before going to wherever she was going to.

"Did we miss something?" Yoshino asked her cousin. Rei mearly shrugged.

"Maybe it's for her boyfriend?" Nana said offhandedly. Rei and Yoshino looked at each other.

"No way…" They both said.

...

Everyone said their goodbyes and made their way home. Kanako sighed and started walking but she felt someone tugging her arm. It was Touko.

"Touko-san?" Kanako said to her friend.

"Can you…come with me for a bit?" Touko asked. Kanako nodded.

Kanako followed Touko back into school property until Touko stopped in front of the Mary Statue. Kanako wondered what Touko wanted.

"I hope that you are not planning on asking me to be you Petit Soeur Touko-san." Kanako joked. Wait? Kanako made a joke?! That's actually funny?! Touko simply shook her head.

"I…uh…" Touko stuttered. Her heart was probably breaking every speed limit in Japan. Kanako was getting nervous as well. Touko reached into her bag and pulled a something small wrapped in gift wrap.

"I wanted to give this to you…" Touko said. Kanako just felt her heart jump. She reached out and took the gift. Kanako then reached into her own bag and pulled out a box.

"Here…I wasn't able to give it to you earlier but…" Kanako handed Touko the box.

"Can I…open it?" Touko asks. Kanako nodded.

"Then you open your gift as well." Touko said. Kanako agreed.

They both opened their respetive gifts. The readers already know what Kanako's gift for Touko was and Touko was in shock at Kanako's gift.

"It's beautiful…" She said but Kanako was too busy admiring what she got from Touko. The drill haired girl went for broke and got Kanako a ring. Yep, a RING! It was just a simple gold ring but Kanako treated it like it was the most valuable thing on earth. They looked at each other. Both were blushing.

"Thank you…Its beautiful Touko-san." Kanako said.

"Same here. This bracelet is wonderful. I'm kind of embarrassed that I only got you a cheap ring." Touko said with a nervous smile. Kanako shook her head.

"Not at all. I got that bracelet for free." Kanako said.

"Free?" Touko questioned as she looked at the bracelet.

"Yes…a gift from Santa." Kanako said. Touko thought of it as a joke and simply shrugged.

"I guess I'll try it on." Touko said as she put on the bracelet. It was a perfect fit.

"Wow…it's a perfect fit." Touko repeated the narrator. Kanako also tried on the ring. Much to the embarrassment of Touko, Kanako put the ring on her LEFT ring finger. Touko blushed like crazy. Kanako simply admired the ring. Touko then noticed something and looked up.

"What is it?" Kanako asked her friend.

"Snow…" was all Touko said. Kanako looked up and sure enough, snow started falling. It was going to be a white Cristmas afterall. Touko and Kanako looked at each other.

"Merry Christmas Touko-san."

"Yeah…Merry Christmas Kanako-san."

...

Merry Christmas Everybo--No wait! Please R&R!


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own nothing on this fic that can put me in jail.**

...

Did someone say TIME SKIP! No? Oh well…Anyway, It is now January. If any of you are wondering why I didn't cover the Yamayurikai New Year's party, it's because neither of our main characters are in the Yamayurikai. If you wanna find out what happened in the New Year's party then you'll just have to wait until I catch up to it on "My Red Rosebud" (Shameless plug-in is shameless). That aside, Winter break was now over and the students are now back in school. But, even though winter break was over, it was still winter so…

"Stupid weather…" Touko cursed the ecosystem. For some strange reason, she declined being taken to school by car and insisted to go there via mass transit instead. Touko just got off the station and was walking to school. She was of course wearing the bracelet that Kanako gave her on her right wrist. The cold made it sting a bit but Touko's willpower would not let her take that bracelet off.

Touko somehow managed to reach the school without collapsing from hypothermia. She saw Kanako in the distance and waved to her friend. Kanako noticed Touko and waved back. Touko noticed that Kanako was now wearing the ring on her right hand. Kanako had just realized that she was waving at Touko with her right hand which had the ring. The tall girl quickly lowered her hand and started to blush.

"What's up?" Touko asked Kanako when she got closer to her friend. Kanako looked away.

"Well…I…" Kanako couldn't even look at Touko as she displayed all kinds of red on her face.

...

This is now a flashback sequence!

After Kanako got back from the party, she was greeted by her younger sister. Kanako petted her sister's head with her left hand which had the ring Touko gave her. Their mom saw the ring and asked Kanako about it.

"So that's why you seem to be in such a good mood…" Kanako's mom trailed off, hiding a smile with her hand. Kanako looked at her mother and wondered.

"What do you mean?" Kanako asked. Her mother pointed at her hand.

"So…when's the wedding?" Her mom joked. Kanako's sister heard this and beamed.

"Married? Onee-chan's gonna get married? Yay!" The little girl exclaimed. Kanako became flustered with confusion and embarrassment at what she was hearing.

"Wha—What on earth are you two talking about?!" Kanako frantically said. If only Touko could see her now.

"Well…women usually wear their engagement or wedding rings on their left ring finger. And you seem to have quite the nice accessory there if I do say so myself." Kanako's mom joked. Kanako looked at her hand.

_Engagement ring? THIS ring? The ring from Touko-san?_ The thoughts that were swirling around in Kanako's head were quite amusing. It didn't help her when she remembered that she was the one who put that ring there. She thought back to when she put on that ring and gasped.

_Is that why Touko-san was blushing when I put on the ring? She must have thought that…oh dear…_Kanako's body couldn't decide whether to make her blush or pale at her sudden realization. Kanako spent the rest of the night with her head buried in her pillow replaying that scene in her head over and over again.

End o' flashback

...

Kanako was too embarrassed to look at Touko right now and the drill-haired girl was a bit confused as to why that is. She pulled on Kanako's coat and the tall girl suddenly gasped. Touko was caught off guard as well.

"Whoa! Easy there…no one's gonna hurt you." Touko tried to calm down her friend who seemed to have had too much caffeine. Kanako looked down is shame.

"I'm sorry Touko-san…I'm just going through a little something and it's made me a bit…" Kanako trailed off. Touko was starting to get worried.

"Can you tell me about it?" Touko asked. Kanako knew that Touko was just being nice to her but she was the LAST person who Kanako wanted to talk to about that right now. Kanako shook her head.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious." Kanako said as she quickly started walking into campus. Touko could just stand there.

_Of course I'll worry you idiot…_Touko thought to herself. Her sudden friendship with Kanako was great and all but, since she had been starting to get accustomed to Kanako being nice to her, when Kanako avoided her like that it seemed more…painful. Touko felt the bracelet sting her wrist. It was a reminder of how she was so able to have such a wonderful moment with Kanako. But it also reminded her that a friend might be all Kanako was willing to see Touko as.

...

When they got to the classroom, Kanako and Touko ignored each other. Noriko was confused and slightly annoyed at what was happening. After they have gotten in such good terms with each other, Noriko thought that it was only a matter of time before Kanako falls for Touko. But from the looks of things…

_Jezz…what is it now? They look like a couple who just had a fight._ Noriko thought, but she really wasn't in the mood to interfere today.

_Whatever it is…they'll have to figure it out on their own…_Noriko thought giving one last look at her friends before the teacher came it to start class.

...

The bell rang meaning that it was lunchtime and the hall was abuzz with the sounds of girls walking and talking together. Touko couldn't stand what was happening. She had thought that things were going great between them and suddenly Kanako wouldn't even look at her. Touko being Touko, she wasn't about to let Kanako slip through her fingers. The drill-haired girl held her bracelet, which was on her right wrist, with her other hand. She approached Kanako who was oblivious to her presence.

"Kanako-san…" Touko called out to her friend. Kanako froze. After a while, Kanako turned to her friend.

"Yes? What is it Touko-san." Kanako tried to fool Touko with her poker face. But Touko has seen that face several times. The fact that Kanako is showing it to her now means that…

"So…I guess its back to the way it was then…" Touko lowered her head and turned away from Kanako. Touko was still holding on to her bracelet. When Kanako pieced together what Touko meant and when she saw Touko holding the bracelet she gave; Kanako immediately caught up with Touko and grabbed her shoulder. Touko looked back at Kanako.

"I'm sorry…can we talk in private after school…I'll explain everything there." Kanako almost pleaded Touko. The drill-haired girl noticed the genuine worry in Kanako's eyes.

"Alright…" was all Touko said. Kanako let her go and they went to eat lunch separately. Noriko observed the two girls.

"They're not even a couple yet and they're already having their first misunderstanding? Unbelievable…" Noriko sighed at what she was witness to.

...

"A misunderstanding?" Shimako wondered at what Noriko just told her. With things between Kanako and Touko being so unstable, Noriko decided to back away and talk to Shimako about it. Noriko had told the now two-time Rosa Gigantea a few things about what was happening with Touko and Kanako. She knew that Shimako was smart enough to piece the rest together.

"Yeah…can you believe it? And I bet you anything that it's something so trivial that they'll laugh about afterwards." Noriko said with rare irritation. Shimako smiled at her Petit Soeur's concern for her friends and her overall insight on things.

"You sure seem confident about them making up." Shimako stated. Noriko looked at the 'Wisteria Maiden'.

"Of course. Whether those two realize it or not, they now share a bond. It's a bond that was made even stronger because they were so much at odds with each other before. The fact is that they have already seen the worst in each other and there's nothing left to see except the best in each other." Noriko said.

"I understand what you are saying. They have already shown each other rock bottom so there's nowhere else to go but up." Shimako said. Noriko nodded.

"But when they will realize that is anyone's guess." Noriko flatly said.

"You won't help them along anymore?" Shimako asks.

"As much as I want to be the one to have to bare witness to their idiocy, I'll have to pass. I have my own relationship to worry about." Noriko was talking about her boyfriend. Yes, she really DOES have a boyfriend I'm not making it up. She was in a co-ed school before coming to Lilian afterall.

"That's true. I hope they work it out." Shimako said.

"Those two hate to lose. They won't allow their friendship to crumble, that much is certain." Noriko said with confidence.

...

"They said what?!" Touko exclaimed. Kanako was struggling to hold back her blush. They were in their 'special place', in front of the small chapel where so many developments happened before. Kanako explained her mother's and sister's reactions to Kanako wearing the ring on her left ring finger. Touko went silent for a while. If that had happened to her, Touko wouldn't have come out of her room for days. The sheer embarrassment Kanako must have gone throught. Touko understood why Kanako had been avoiding her. Kanako was getting very uncomfortable with the eerie silence. She didn't know if Touko was going to stay as her friend or not. Somehow, Kanako dreaded the latter. But her fears were unfounded as Touko started to laugh.

"Touko-san?" Kanako called to her friend. Touko looked at her with a smile.

"I was wondering when you would realize where you wore that ring." Touko said before giggling again. Kanako pouted.

"It's not funny!" She protested.

"It is to me!" Touko said while poking Kanako's puffed up cheeks. The tall girl was embarrassed and irritated at Touko's reaction to her plight but she was also relieved with that reaction as well. Kanako now knew that she can be more open to Touko about herself and Touko won't judge her.

"Is that so?" Kanako decided to extract some revenge and started tickling Touko. The other girl was caught by surprise by Kanako's attack and jerked wildly losing balance and pulling Kanako down with her.

"Ow! My butt…" Touko said. She then saw Kanako was mere inches from her face. Kananko herself was paralyzed being to close to Touko. There they stayed for a while, staring at each other until the cold forced them to go home.

"I don't believe it…why didn't Touko go for the kill?" Noriko exclaimed after the two girls left, Shimako was with her.

"Now now…they will cross that bridge when they are both ready." Shimako tried to calm down her soeur.

"They'd better…or else I'll go nuts." Noriko said. Shimako simply giggled.

...

Short update is short...R&R anyway...


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything on this fic that can be used against me in a court of law.

**...**

The 4th of February has arrived in our little story. The 2nd month of the calendar had many meanings for many people. For example, The Superbowl usually happens in the first or second Sunday of February…but that's not really important right now. What's important is that another special event that happens in February, and if you people who are reading don't know what it is then you should come out of the rock you've been living under. The even of course is St. Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day:

- To men, it means quiet anticipation for receiving items of affection from women that they hold dear. Some secretly hope to get a confession of love.

- To women, it means having to prepare items of affection to give to men they hold drear. It is also a good time to confess their love to someone.

- To the girls in Lilian? Well, ever since last year…

"A what now?" Touko asked her classmates. When Touko got to class, she greeted her friends but also overheard something strange as well.

"A card-hunt! Card! Hunt! I heard the 2nd years talking about it yesterday." One of Touko's classmates answered for her.

"Card?" Touko started, looking at Kanako.

"Hunt?" The tall girl said, looking back at Touko. The two of them blinked a few times.

"What the hell are you all talking about?" Touko asked her classmates with a little more force than usual. Like Sachiko, Touko hates being kept in the dark. Noriko approached her confused friends.

"Let me explain…" Noriko said.

...

"So that's what this whole thing was about." Kanako said after Noriko explained the mechanics of the upcoming event (If any of you don't know or have forgotten the rules of the event then come back after watching the second half of the first season of Marimite).

A few months ago, Kanako would be adamantly determined to find Yumi's card. But now, she doesn't feel as much need to systematically hunt down Yumi's card and obliterating all who stood in her way. Make no mistake though, Kanako still wants to be the one to find Yumi's card, but as an admirer and friend…and not as a creepy stalker. Touko herself was looking forward to the event as well, not only because of the card hunt event, but also because it was on Valentine's Day afterall.

_I wonder if that would be a good chance to—_

"Touko-san?" Kanako snapped Touko out of her thoughts. She flinched at realizing Kanako's presence.

"Ka—Kanako-san…what is it?" Touko said, pulling a classic 'Yumi' as it is now called in the process.

"What's up with you?" Noriko asked the slightly flustered Touko.

"Umm…I was just wondering where Yumi-sama might hide her card….hehehe…" Touko once again executed another 'Yumi'. Kanako hummed.

"Yes…I wonder…wait, you are going after Yumi-sama's card?" Kanako asks.

"Well…yeah…It's not like I want Noriko's card." Touko said sarcastically. Noriko had a darkened expression.

_For some reason…I feel completely defeated._ Noriko thought to herself.

"Then I guess that we will be rivals then." Kanako smiled.

"Rivals?" Touko pondered.

"That's right. I won't lose even to you Touko-san." Kanako said confidently. Touko suddenly felt depressed.

_What's this atmosphere?_ Touko wondered. In the span of three statements and a question, Kanako had emerged as the last girl standing (emotionally).

"What's wrong?" Kanako asked her friends. The two other girls merely shrugged.

...

"My card?" Yumi said with an imaginary question mark above her head.

"Yes. Can you at least give us a hint or something?" Touko asked. Kanako and Touko came over to the Rose Mansion to help out again and conveniently found that only Yumi was there at the moment…so Touko tried to squeeze some intel from Yumi.

"Touko-san! I don't think that is right!" Kanako reprimanded her firend. Touko pouted.

"Well, don't YOU want to know as well?" Touko countered. Kanako flinched.

"AHA!" Touko pointed at Kanako ala Phoenix Wright.

"But I'm not going to simply ask Yumi-sama where it is! That's cheating!" Kanako defended herself. Yumi raised her hand.

"Objection!" Yumi said, getting the attention of the bickering first years. She must have played an Ace Attorney game at one point in her life.

"I don't like the two of you bickering over something neither of you should even know about…" Yumi said with a rarely used commanding tone. Both girls stopped bickering afterwards.

"Now...I'm very happy that the two of you want to have that half-day date with me but you can't go about it like that." Yumi reprimanded the girls. They both just stood quietly.

_Is this…?_ Touko started.

_The aura of Rosa Chinensis?_ Kanako finished.

...

Touko currently has something else swimming in her head OTHER than the upcoming Valentine's Day Card Hunt. It is the evening of the 12th of February and Touko is hard at work trying to make a special batch of Chocolates. It wasn't for Yumi, it wasn't even for Sachiko. No, these chocolates represent all of Touko's courage and determination. These are the chocolates are the ones that she will use to finally confess her love to Kanako. Of course…She had to be able to make said chocolates without giving Kanako a case of food poisoning. Hence her current dilemma…

"Bleeeehhh!!" Touko spat out one of the chocolates on her current batch. One of the maids watched the poor girl.

"Touko-sama…maybe you should just buy some expensive chocolates instead. You have been trying for days now." The maid said while pointing at the trash bin which was brimming with Bio-Chemical Hazardous Waste (read: Chocolates). Touko glared at the maid.

"No! I have to make this myself otherwise its pointless!" Touko rebuked. The maid sighed.

"In that case, maybe you should ask someone for help. A book can't help you fine-tune your work." The maid said matter-of-factly. Touko really didn't want to involve anyone else in this and she really didn't know who to ask. The only ones who know about her feelings for Kanako (as far as she is aware) are: Yumi, Sachiko, Noriko, and the servants in her house. Touko hummed.

"I'm not sure that Sachiko Onee-sama would agree to help me with this…" Touko imagined Sachiko's response.

_If it is that important to you then you should do it yourself. That way, Kanako-san can appreciate it more._ Touko's imaginary Sachiko says.

"Hmm…what about Noriko?" Touko pondered.

_Sorry, I got my own things to worry about. You shouldn't have approached me so late in the game._ Touko's imaginary Noriko says.

"That only leaves…"

_Umm…well you see—_Touko's imaginary Yumi went before…

"No way Yumi-sama can help me with this." Touko said flatly. Her imaginary Yumi was lying face-down in defeat.

_You didn't even give me a chance…_Poor imaginary Yumi.

Touko was racking her brain for a solution. Valentine's Day was on the day after tomorrow and she was completely stuck. The drill-haired girl curled up her hand into a fist.

"Indeed…Desperate times call for desperate measures." Touko said as she walked towards the phone.

...

The phone in a familiar house started ringing. It went on for a few more seconds before someone finally picked it up.

"Hello? Fukuzawa residence." Yuuki spoke.

_Umm…This is Matsudaira Touko of Lilian Girls School. May I please speak with Fukuzawa Yumi-sama?_ Touko said over the phone.

...

_Just a moment._ The young man said on the other end of the line. Touko was wondering if this was just a good idea. But before she could wonder any longer…

_Hello? Touko-chan?_ Touko heard Yumi's voice.

"Yumi-sama!" Touko blurted out in surprise.

_What's up Touko-chan? You sound surprised._ Yumi said.

"Ummm…Yumi-sama…I need your help. You see…"

...

_But I can't make any good chocolates so…I need help…umm…_ Touko stuttered on the other end of the line. It took some time for Yumi to digest what she was saying but when she did…

"That's wonderful Touko-chan! So you finally built up the courage to confess to Kanako-chan? That's great! Chocolates? Sure I can help you with that! Rei-sama taught me how to make some last year and I've been practicing ever since! This is so…" Yumi went on to rant about how wonderful it was that Touko was going to confess to Kanako, then about the Card Hunt, then about Kanako's possible answers, then about Sachiko's reaction to Touko's confession, then about Touko and Kanako's first…

_I get it Yumi-sama! Please! I just need help with the chocolates! Not a prediction on what will happen afterwards!_ Touko protested over the phone. Yumi couldn't see it but Touko was blushing like crazy when Touko wondered what would happen if Kanako said yes to her. It didn't help her much when Yumi said that they might share their first kiss right at that moment as well.

"Oh right…sorry about that. I guess I got carried away. Here's the plan, I'll give you a recipe for some truffles tomorrow and you can try making them. They are a lot easier to make than you might think, though it did take me a few tries to get it right." Yumi said.

_I already tried recipes but they all went down in flames. I need some first hand help with this... _Touko said in shame.

"Then I'll help you make them after school then." Yumi casually said.

_You will? But don't you have to hide your card? _Touko said.

...

_Don't worry. I can handle that later on. Your situation is much more important right now._ Yumi said confidently.

"If you say so…" Touko said while playing with the coiled phone cord.

_Don't worry Touko-chan. I'm sure your feelings will reach Kanako-chan for sure._ Yumi said.

"Wow…where did you learn a cheesy line like that?" Touko said with a raised brow (Yumi can't see it of course.)

_Hehehehe…Let's just say a goddess told me that once._ Yumi said sheepishly.

"A…goddess? Well, anyway, thank you for helping me. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Touko sighed afterwards.

_Okay then. See you tomorrow Touko-chan._ Yumi said. They said their goodbyes soon after.

_A goddess huh? Maybe I should ask some help from one as well…_Touko thought as she was walking to her room.

...

It was Febuary 14th. Touko was walking to class with a heavy aura around her (insert dramatic walking music here). She still wasn't confident that she could make those truffles successfully even WITH Yumi's help. When she reached her classroom, she let out a final sigh and opened the door. She saw Kanako and Noriko there talking to each other.

"Gokigenyo Noriko-san, Kanako-san." Touko greeted her friends. The two girls smiled at Touko.

"Gokigenyo." They both said.

"What are you two talking about?" Touko inquired.

"We were just discussing possible places for Noriko-san to hide her card." Kanako said.

"Oh yeah…The prize is a half-day date with the En Bouton of the corresponding card." Touko mused.

"Yes…Last year it was Shimako-san but now it will be me." Noriko said.

"Hmmm…That's a bit of a bother wouldn't you say? I mean, that means that anyone who is interested has a chance." Touko said.

"Nothing I can do about it. Besides, if Shimako-san could do it, then so can I." Noriko said confidently. Kanako and Touko looked at each other.

"Plus you two have other things to worry about right? You should make sure that at least one of you gets Yumi-sama's card." Noriko countered. Kanako and Touko looked at each other.

"True, but I'm not really bothered if someone else gets Yumi-sama's card." Kanako said. Wow…did I just hear Kanako correctly?

"That's right, it's not like we won't be able to go out with Yumi-sama anymore if we don't get her card. It's only for half a day anyway. Our trip to the amusement park was longer than that." Touko said.

"Yeah but didn't you two spend half of that day looking for Yumi-sama?" Noriko countered.

"It's not our fault that Yumi-sama has the self-control of a hamster." Touko said. The two girls then looked at Kanako who was silent the whole time. They saw her blankly looking up into oblivion.

_Yumi-sama as a hamster…_ Kanako thought to herself. Once a fan, always a fan I guess. Her two friends could only wonder what Kanako was thinking.

"By the way, don't you have other plans for Valentine's Day?" Noriko said to Touko while motioning to Kanako.

"Don't say it out loud!" Touko said. They looked at Kanako who was still in her trance.

_Hamster…_ Kanako thought.

"Don't worry; she's probably in another dimension by now." Noriko said sarcastically. Touko sighed.

"You're probably right." Touko said.

"Back on topic. Will you finally let the cat out of the bag?" Noriko said without hesitation.

"If I can complete my preparations…" Touko said offhandedly. When she realized what she just said she looked at Noriko she saw that her friends had a sly smile.

"So…finally making your move huh?" Noriko teased. Touko blushed. Kanako…well she was still…

_Yumi-sama…you might trip on the hamster wheel… _Simply amazing.

...

Touko found Yumi waiting for her by the gate of the school. Yumi waved to her like she usually does. Touko can't believe that she will offically lead the Yamayurikai in a few months.

"Touko-chan! Are you ready?" Yumi said with gusto.

"Don't have much of a choice. The car will be here soon." Touko said flatly.

"What's wrong?" Yumi asked.

"I'm just not sure if I can pull this off…" Touko confessed. Yumi touched Touko's shoulder.

"Just put all the love you have for Kanako-chan into what you will make later. That's all you need to focus on right now okay?" Yumi said. She's maturing a lot more than people think. Touko mearly nodded. The car soon came and they made their way to Touko's house to make Kanako's truffles.

...

A gentle beam of sunlight peaked between the curtains of Touko's room and into her closed eyes. The girl slowly opened her eyes, yawned and sat up. She looked at the calendar on the table near her bed.

_So…It's time… _She thought to herself. Touko managed to make a decent batch of chocolate truffles thanks to Yumi's help yesterday. Everything was set. The Card Hunt was only second priority for Touko now. There was only one thing on her mind right now.

_I'm sure that your feelings will reach Kanako-chan… Just put all the love you have for Kanako-chan into what you will make… _Touko replayed Yumi's words in her head as she stood up. Touko used her hands to slap her cheeks at the same time.

"Right! Let's do this!" Touko said pumped up.

...

Touko heard her classroom abuzz with chatter. When she entered, she saw Noriko was swarmed by several students. Touko approached Kanako who was already there.

"What's going on?" Touko asked the taller girl.

"They want to know if Noriko knew the locations of Yumi-sama and Yoshino-sama's cards." Kanako said.

"Poor Noriko…none of them have probably asked where HER card was." Touko said taking pity for her friend.

"Indeed…" Was all Kanako said as she looked at her friend being swarmed. Touko looked at Kanako for a moment and gulped. Kanako noticed this and looked at Touko.

"What's wrong?" Kanako asked.

"No…nothing at all." Touko said clutching her bag, her chocolates for the tall girl inside.

_I can do this…_ Touko gave herself a pep-talk.

"Umm…Kanako-san…" Touko called out. Kanako looked at her friend.

"Yes?" Kanako said with her head tipped slightly to the side.

_Oh God! She's so cute when she does tha—NO! Focus!_ Touko mentally slapped herself.

"Ca—can I talk to you later after the Card Hunt, regardless of the result. It's important." Touko said.

"Can't you just say it now?" Kanako asked. Touko shook her head.

"No I can't…It's something I have to tell you alone. Please, just meet me in front of the small chapel after this is all over okay…Please?" Touko pleaded. Kanako wondered why Touko would plead to her like that. She thought that Touko might be in trouble again and needs her help.

"Alright…I'll meet you there later then." Kanako said. Touko gave a sigh of relief.

"Thanks…" Touko gave a weak smile afterwards.

_Now if I can just make it to the afternoon without getting a heart attack… _Touko thought.

_I wonder what Touko-san wants?_ Kanako thought.

_Why won't those two help me?!_ Noriko thought.

...

"Alright! Is everyone who will participate in the 'Second Annual Hunt for a Rose's Card' here?" Mami said into the megaphone. Nearly every girl in the first and second years was there. The starting point was once again in front of the Rose Mansion and the Roses themselves were in attendance. The ones on the chopping block now were Yumi, Yoshino, and Noriko. Touko and Kanako were in the crowd. There was also someone else in front of the Rose Mansion.

"In case you are wondering. We also have an extra participant today. She is the former Rosa Gigantea: Satou Sei-sama." Mami said.

_A former Rose?_ Touko pondered.

_She was the one with my sister before…_ Kanako thought back to when her sister sneaked into the school festival with Sei and Youko. Sei gave a 'V' sign and one of her trademark grins.

She was there because quote "It's been a while since I had Yumi-chan all to myself so I'm going after her card and monopolize her for half a day." Needless to say, Yumi wasn't exactly thrilled about this. Neither was Sachiko. Touko noted the slightly disappointed expression of Yumi.

_I wonder if she wanted that Ryou guy to be here too…?_ Touko wondered.

"Okay! For those who are not famillar to the rules, listen up! You will be give ONE HOUR! I repeat! ONE HOUR to find one of the cards. You may search throughout the school but please keep in mind that the hiding places are only restricted to places that EVERYONE can access. That means that club rooms and the like are out of the question. I have been informed that the Rose Mansion will be a possible hiding place as well. Good luck everyone. The timer starts…NOW!" The second Mami ended her talk, all the girls scrambled to where they thought the cards were. Touko and Kanako looked at each other.

"Let's go!" Touko said. Kanako nodded and they both went off to find Yumi's card.

...

Kanako had separated herself from Touko, opting to search the area around the gym. Kanako soon noticed a flock of girls were following her. She took note of them.

_They must think that Yumi-sama told me where her card is. They must plan on taking it away when I uncover it, such simpleminded girls. _Kanako thought. The tall girl hated being selfishly used for someone else's gain. She turned around and gave the girls her best glare.

"I would advise you to stop following me…continue to do so and I won't be responsible for your _safety_…" Kanako made sure to lace some extra venom on the last word. The girls could swear that there was a black aura emanating from Kanako when she said those words. The girls quickly dispersed afterwards. Kanako smiled at her handywork.

"Those girls are nowhere near as tough as Touko-san was." Kanako said to herself.

_Now…Where is that red card?_ Kanako thought

...

Touko was sitting on a bench while other girls passed her by. They were arguing about where to look next. The drill-haired girl opted to think about the whole thing first.

_Walking around aimlessly is pointless unless you have extreme luck on your side…_ Touko thought.

_If it's Yumi-sama we're talking about then the card can't be hidden in a devilishly clever place. _Ouch…

_No…the card must be hid in a place that is important to Yumi-sama…A place that represents her…represents…represents…THAT'S IT!_ Touko yelled in her head. She was glad she had the presence of mind not to yell it out. Touko calmly stood up and started walking; making sure that no one was following her.

_The place most likely to hide Yumi-sama's card…_ Touko thought as she stared at the greenhouse.

"This place has rosebushes right? So…that means…." Touko said to herself while entering the greenhouse. She looked around and snapped her fingers when she found what she was looking for.

"Bingo…" Touko said as she saw the bush of Red Roses.

"The place that represents Yumi-sama the best…Rosa Chinensis!" Touko declared as she started digging. She didn't even mind that she dug with her bare hands. Her competitive side had taken her over completely. And soon after, as if she had just found the Holy Grail itself, Touko raised up the plastic bag that had the red card in it. Touko beamed.

"I GOT IT!!" She yelled out. She didn't care if anyone heard her.

...

The hour passed and the girls went back to the Rose Mansion for the results. Kanako looked around but couldn't find Touko anywhere.

"I wonder where she is?" Kanako wondered.

"And here are the announcements!" Mami declared. Kanako paid attention.

"No one managed to find the White card!" Mami declared. Noriko had a slightly annoyed look.

_More like no one LOOKED for it. _She thought as Shimako patted her head.

"The one who found the Yellow card is First Year Edigawa Kouyuki-san!" Mami declared as the girl stepped forward and greeted Yoshino. She was a slim girl with brown hair tied into a high ponytail that reached the back of her neck. She was slightly shorter than Yoshino and had black eyes. She was shy and quite cute.

"Where did you find the card?" Mami asked.

"Umm…It…It was in a book called 'How to make the perfect garden' I just stumbled into it be accident. I wasn't even a participant when I found it. I just wanted to make our garden at home look nicer. I was so surprised when everyone started yelling that I won." Kouyuki said. Rei snickered when she found out where Yoshino hid her card. Yoshino immediately gave her cousin a standard 'Rei-chan no baka!'

"And for the red card!" The roses looked at Sei who held her hands up. Kanako waited anxiously for the result.

"Sad to say, but I didn't find it." The former Rosa Gigantea said.

"The one who found it was First Year Matsudaira Touko-san!" Kanako and Yumi smiled when they heard Touko's name. The drill-haired girl stepped forward and greeted Yumi.

"I knew that you would find it." Yumi said.

"Of course!" Touko smugly said.

"And where was the card located?" Mami asked.

"It was under the Red Rose bush." Touko said. Sachiko looked at Yumi when she heard that.

"That place is where…" Sachiko said.

"Uh-huh…It's the only place I could think of. Besides, it's perfect right?" Yumi said. Sachiko nodded. Kanako was happy that Touko won but her friend was thinking something else at the moment.

_This is great and all but…This isn't the reason why I'm pumped up right now. Although, it'll be nice to ride this momentum all the way up to my confession later._ Touko thought while scanning the cheering schoolgirls. She saw Kanako who waved at her. Touko waved back.

...

Classes were over and Touko received congratulations from her classmates on her victory before she and Kanako left. The two girls were now in front of the small chapel. Kanako was still wondering why she was there and saw that Touko saw a bit uneasy.

"Touko-san? Is there something wrong?" Kanako said with worry in her face. She saw Touko reach in her bag.

"I wanted to give this to you…" Touko handed out the box of chocolate truffles that she made. Kanako took the box and opened it.

"Chocolates?" Kanako said a bit puzzled.

"Yeah…I made them myself." Touko said. Kanako took one of the truffles and ate it.

_Victory or defeat! Which is it?!_ She thought to herself. Kanako continued to chew it for a few more seconds and then swallowed. That was the longest eight seconds of Touko's life.

"That was delicious Touko-san." Kanako said with a smile. It is to be noted that Kanako has a sweet tooth as mentioned in a previous chapter. Touko lit up.

_The momentum is in my favor!_ Touko thought as her heartbeat sped up.

_Calm down! I have to do this just right!_ Touko thought.

"Touko-san?" Kanako called out to her friend. Touko flinched.

"Oh! Umm…I'm glad you liked it. It was pretty tricky to pull off you know!" Touko said, a bit flustered. Kanako smiled.

"Well, it was very well made. I look forward to eating the rest at home. Did you give the others chocolates as well? It must have been hard making all that." Kanako said as she put the box in her bag.

"Others?" Touko asked.

"Yes. Didn't you give some to Yumi-sama, Noriko-san and the others?" Kanako asked.

"No…I just made those especially for you…" Touko said.

"Just for me?" Kanako said.

"Kanako-san…I need to tell you something." Touko said, her tone becoming serious.

"What is it Touko-san?" Kanako asked. The voice at the back of her head kept saying that something was about to happen…something…big.

"For some time now Kanako-san, my view on you changed. I don't see you as my enemy anymore…" Touko started.

"Of course. I think that you are--" Kanako was interrupted when Touko raised her hand.

"Please let me finish first…" Touko said. Kanako said nothing else.

"I…saw you as many things in these few months. An enemy, an enigma, someone I could work with, a friend…and even more so…" Touko continued.

"What are you saying? I don't understand?" Kanako asked. Touko looked her directly in her eyes. Kanako felt her heart skip a beat.

"Kanako-san…I…love you. I mean, I'm INLOVE with you." Touko made sure that she said the important part as clearly as she could. Kanako just stood there.

"Hey…say something…" Touko weakly said. It took all her courage to say those words. Touko was spent right now and somewhat vulnerable. Then she saw Kanako lower her head, her hair covering her eyes.

_What? What? What?_ Touko suddenly got a sinking feeling. Then she saw something sparkle. She blinked a few times to see it more clearly.

Tears…

_What? What's this now?_ Touko's heart sank like a brick in the ocean. She tried to reach out to Kanako. Before she could touch the tall girl, Kanako backed away from her, her head was still lowered. Kanako then turned around and ran, as fast as she could.

"This…wasn't supposed to happen…" Touko said to herself.

_I'm sure that your feelings will reach Kanako-chan… Just put all the love you have for Kanako-chan into what you will make…_

_THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!_ Touko screamed in her head. She then fell to her knees and started crying.

_This…wasn't supposed to…_

...

**Author's note: **Kouyuki is an OC I threw in because I don't know who really got Yoshino's card in the novels, same reason why I chose to blank out Noriko. It was pretty funny though.

Please R&R


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything on this fic that can be used against me in a court of law!

...

_I love you_

Touko's words reverberated in Kanako's head. She stopped running and covered her ears in an attempt to silence those three words. Kanako didn't know why she reacted the way that she did, let alone why Touko said those words to her.

_I love you_

Kanako shook her head violently as her feeble attempt to silence Touko's voice failed. She looked back in the direction where she had come from. She briefly wondered what Touko was doing but quickly dismissed it and turned to keep going…anywhere but here.

...

Touko had stopped crying for some time now but she stayed knelt down on the brick-laden walkway, she did not have the will to move. She felt like someone did some had just ripped out her heart and…well, use you imagination. At the back of her mind, Touko had tried to mentally prepare herself in the even that Kanako rejected her. That the tall girl would smile and politely say that she could only stay as friends. But that did not happen. Kanako did something much worse.

She cried and fled. And Touko was the cause.

Does it mean that Kanako hated her now? Does it mean that they won't be friends anymore? Was everything they have built up gone? Because of those three words? Was it all for naught? Touko felt like crying all over again when she remembered what happened. But the tears did not come. She was either too tired to cry or there were no more tears to shed. Either way, Touko was miserable. Part of her would have just settled just staying as friends with Kanako if she knew it would hurt this much.

While Touko was still knelt down and in shock, the doors of the chapel opened, Touko did not or chose not to notice. Two people stepped out.

"I'm telling you…Yumi-san and I don't have that kind of relationship…" A young man said.

"And what about Miss Mishima?" An elderly woman asked.

"Sayoko-sempai?! Please don't start…" The young man turned and saw Touko. The young man stopped in his tracks. The old woman did the same. Touko was still unmoving.

"Oh dear!" The old woman said, quickly going to Touko's side and helping her up. Touko looked at her.

"The…head of the academy?" Touko said weakly, her parched throat ached when she said those words and coughed soon afterwards. She had seen her before during the entrance ceremony for new students. The Academy Head turned to the young man, Touko followed her gaze.

"Ryou. Get her something to drink." The Academy Head said to the young man.

_Ryou? This guy is Yumi-sama's…_ Touko was too emotionally exhausted to think any further.

"On it Kaori Oba-san!" Ryou said and he made a dash into the campus. The Academy Head turned to Touko with a smile.

"Are you alright now dear?" Kaori said in a heartwarming tone. Touko looked down and did not reply. Kaori frowned. What could have happened to this poor girl? On Valentines Day no less.

_Valentines day…I see. The poor girl._ Kaori thought to herself. Touko weakly got out of Kaori's arms and stood on her own. Ryou retuned with a can of Tea. He opened it and handed it to Touko.

"Best I could do…" Ryou said to Kaori.

"It's fine." The old woman said. They waited for Touko to recover before doing anything else.

"How do you feel now?" Ryou asked. Touko still wouldn't look at them and stayed silent. The young man winced.

"Let me handle this Ryou. You need to be somewhere right now right?" Kaori said to her nephew. Ryou look at his wristwatch and flinched.

"Crap! You're right! I'll leave this to you then Kaori Oba-san." Ryou gave Touko one last lingering look and ran off to the parking lot. Kaori kept her gaze at her nephew until he was out of sight. She then looked at Touko again. The girl was obviously emotionally drained and Kaori knew that feeling quite well. She took one of Touko's hands into one of her own. Touko looked at the elderly woman who was smiling at her. Touko had glazed eyes.

"Let's find a place to sit down shall we?" Kaori said and started walking. Touko lagged behind her but did not resist. They sat at one of the many benches throughout Lilian. They were the only ones in that area as far as Kaori could tell. Touko sat there silent, her hands grasped the cold can of Tea but she did not drink from it.

"You should drink. You must be tired from…" Kaori decided to stop talking. She didn't want the poor girl to have to remember what happened to her, whatever it may be. Touko stared at the can and took a sip. She coughed as the bitter-sweet liquid passed through her throat. Touko swallowed and drank some more. She then turned to the woman beside her.

"Thank you…" Touko weakly said. Kaori gave a sigh of relief.

_At least she's talking again…_ Kaori thought.

"Not at all. Do you feel better now?" Kaori already knew what the answer was but she had to do something so Touko wouldn't dwell in her own thoughts again. She got her answer when Touko shook her head.

"I…" Touko started but quickly stopped. She winced. The underside of her eyes was red from all the crying moments before. Kaori remained silent and waited for Touko to continue. The drill-haired girl looked at Kaori again. There was something that showed in her eyes.

Pain?

Regret?

Longing?

Maybe a little bit of all…

"I was a fool…" Touko finally said, her voice was still a bit scratchy. Kaori listened intently. She knew that Touko had to get this out of her chest or it will destroy her from the inside.

"Why did I have to say that to her…I just ended up ruining our friendship." Touko said as she looked back to the can in her hands. She took in a long breath.

"Were my feelings all a mistake? Was I so delusional that I didn't take her feelings into account? I just…I just wanted to tell her how much I…" Touko started to tremble. Kaori quickly took the girl into her arms. Touko dropped the can of tea, held on to Kaori and started whimpering.

"I love her! I really love her! I just wanted her to know that! But I just ended up destroying our friendship!" Touko said. Her voice muffled by the Nun's clothes. Kaori held the girl tightly. Touko started crying again. The bracelet that Kanako gave her glistened with her tears.

...

Kanako ran all the way to a park in the city. Her legs and feet ached but were overshadowed by the aching in her heart. Why did she run? Why did her heart keep screaming to stop and go back? Why did she cry? Kanako walked around and sat on a bench. She started to wipe the remainder of her tears form her eyes but she suddenly stopped when she noticed something. Touko's ring. Kanako looked at it intently and remembered the time when she wore it and Touko blushed. Kanako smiled at the memory.

_Memory…Was that all it was now?_

_Because I ran from her feelings?_

Kanako thought of taking of the ring. When she reached for it…

_I can't…I can't…why?_ Kanako slumped her shoulders in defeat. She left the ring where it was and sat there silent. Kanako heard footsteps. She turned and saw a woman. The woman looked at her and bowed, Kanako returned the gesture.

"May I sit here?" The woman pointed at the bench beside Kanako's. The tall girl nodded.

"Alone on valentines day?" The woman said while looking at the sky. She had shoulder length chestnut hair…somewhat like Noriko's. Her face had an angular beauty to it and she looked refined for some reason. She had a blue blouse, black skirt and sported black high heels. She was carrying a black purse. Kanako turned to the woman but quickly dropped her gaze to the ground.

"I'll take that as a yes…" The woman said glancing at Kanako. The woman then hummed a tune that Kanako didn't know. It was a strange but calming tune. Kanako felt herself relax somewhat after listening. The woman turned to her.

"Did you have a fight with someone close to you?" The woman said. Kanako winced. The woman looked at the sky again.

"You should talk to that person then. If you two are close then you shouldn't waste your relationship." The woman said seemingly directed at the heavens.

_Relationship?_

"It…wasn't like that…" Kanako said softly. This caught the woman's attention but maintained her skyward gaze.

"So what WAS it like then…?" the woman asked.

"Someone…told me…that they…lo..lo…" Kanako couldn't say those words for some reason.

"Love you?" The woman finished for Kanako. The tall girl lowered her head.

"What was your response?" The woman asked. Kanako shook her head.

"I…….ran." Kanako said. The woman gave out a sigh.

"You remind me of someone…" The woman said. Kanako slowly turned to her.

"Sorry…just thinking out loud." The woman smiled at Kanako.

"Do you know why you ran? Is it because you did not love that person back?" The woman continued. Kanako though about this for a moment.

_I don't feel the same way. That has to be the reason why…that HAS to be it._ Kanako thought. She nodded to the woman.

"You're lying." The woman said flatly. Kanako was startled.

"If you didn't love that person then you wouldn't have cried." The woman pointed at Kanako's reddened eyes. Kanako touched her eyes on reflex.

"The person who confessed to you gave that ring right?" The woman pointed to Kanako's ring. The tall girl quickly covered it with her other hand.

"I'm just going to think out loud here…If you don't agree with it then just don't listen." The woman told Kanako.

"That person told you those words because it was the truth. You ran because you became scared. You cried because you regret something. You didn't take off that ring because you don't was to lose you bond with that person." The woman said in a clear voice. Kanako looked at her ring again.

_Truth?_

_Scared?_

_Regret?_

_Bond?_

"What should I do?" Kanako finally said

"You should really talk to that person. Before that bond completely breaks…or else you might regret it for the rest of your life." The woman said as she stood up.

"Wait…" Kanako called out. The woman turned to her.

"Thank you…Even though you know nothing about me. Thank you." The tall girl said. The woman smiled.

"Just happy to help out a fellow Lilian girl." The woman said.

"Huh?" Kanako was puzzled. This woman studied in Lilian?

"Excuse me!" Kanako called out to the woman who was walking away.

"Yes?" She turned to face Kanako.

"Your name…" The tall girl said. The woman cupped her chin.

"Oh yeah…sorry about that. It's Eriko…Torii Eriko." She said with a smile and continued walking. Kanako bowed to her as she walked away.

"Thank you…Torii-sama."

...

Kanako awoke to her alarm clock. She rose and looked at her ring. Except when she washes her hands and takes a bath, Kanako never takes off that ring. The tall girl sighed. It has been 5 days since the incident with Touko. Eriko's suggestion, that Kanako talked to Touko was sound, the problem was that Touko hasn't shown up in school in any way, shape or form since that incident. Inside her room, Kanako did not have to put up a front, she could be herself. She gave a weak laugh at the irony. This was the place where she had accepted Touko as her friend. And this was the place where she realized something else. Something she wanted Touko to be the first know.

_If she ever shows up in school again..._ Kanako shook away those thoughts. Touko will surely come back. And Kanako was determined to make things right.

...

At the same time…

Touko was waking up as well. After 4 days of being absent, she was once again unceremoniously visited by Rosa Chinensis but not the Rosa Chinensis that Touko had come to know.

...

Yesterday afternoon…

Touko was once again wallowing in self-pity over the complete and utter annihilation of her heart. She hadn't come out of her room since then. The servants have tried to convince her to come out to at least eat, Touko didn't budge. She had at least consumed the sandwiches and water that they send up to her room during meals.

_She hates me…_

_She hates me…_

_She hates me…_

_She hates me…_

_She hates me…_

_She hates me…_

_She hates me…_

_She hates me…_

_She hate_—Touko's chant was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Touko-sama…There is someone to see you." The maid said. Touko chose to ignore her.

_She hates me…_

_She hates me…_

_She hates me…_

"Touko-chan?" A familiar voice said. Touko sat up immediately.

"Yumi-sama?" Touko quieltly said.

"Touko-chan? Are you there? Please let me in. I just want to talk…" Yumi said in an almost pleading voice. Touko looked down with a pained face. She couldn't possibly face Yumi now. She was her biggest supporter, the one who believed in her the most. How could she possible tell her that she had failed? That all the planning the effort and the _hope_ were for nothing.

"Touko-chan…please…Don't shut me out. Don't shut _us_ out…" Yumi said from the other side out Touko's door. Touko got up and stepped in front of the door.

"I'm sorry Yumi-sama…I failed…I…I…" Touko said. Yumi was barely able to hear her.

"Touko-chan? Is that you? Please let me in Touko-chan! I want to help you! Please don't do this!" Yumi said while banging on the door with her closed fist. She was desperate to get to Touko. Yumi stepped back when the large door started to open. It revealed Touko who seemed battered and exhausted from fighting a long, losing battle…which wasn't far off form the truth. Yumi quickly closed the gap between them and gave Touko a tight embrace. Touko stayed motionless.

"Oh thank goodness!" Yumi said, almost bursting into tears. She pulled away from Touko and held the younger girls face with her hands.

"How are you? Have you been eating well? Do you feel ill?" Yumi bombarded Touko with so many questions that would make any smothering mother proud. Touko pulled away from Yumi and lowered her head.

"I'm….fine…." Touko barely managed to say. Yumi closed into Touko again and lifted her head.

"No your not…Let's sit." Yumi motioned Touko to her bed. Touko had a strange sense of Déjà vu but chose to ignore it and sat down. Yumi held Touko's hand.

"I heard what happened…" Yumi said. Touko looked at her with a surprised face.

"How did you…?" Touko asked.

"Ryou told me that he and his aunt found you in front of the small chapel…" Yumi said.

_Oh right…I forgot about that…_ Touko thought to herself. She shook her head.

"Then you must know that I completely failed." Touko weakly said. The poor girl leaned into Yumi and started whimpering.

"This is…This is my punishment. I became too arrogant again and never thought about Kanako-san's feelings. Now I ruined it all. It's all my fault." Touko damned herself further. But Yumi wouldn't have any of it. She forcefully pushed Touko away from her by the shoulders. Touko was surprised at this. She expected Yumi to hold her and say that everything will be fine. Instead Yumi had a searing glare that burned right through Touko. She had seen a lot of facial expressions form Yumi (who hasn't?) but this…

"Yumi-sama…?" Touko barely managed to say. Yumi's eyes locked on her.

"Don't you dare say that it was all for nothing." Yumi said…no, stated with authority. Touko was scared of this current Yumi but something at the back of her mind kept nagging her to just listen.

"All that was not for nothing and don't you ever think it was ever again. Those moments you had with her, those memories, the times you laughed, the times you were sad, the time you finally had the courage to show her how special she really was to you. None of it was for nothing. All of it meant something." Yumi determinedly said. She paused for a few moments to let Touko take all of that in.

"But…what DID it mean then?" Touko asked Yumi, begging her for an answer. Yumi shook her head.

"That is something you and Kanako-chan must figure out on your own." Yumi said with a gentler tone.

"But…" Before Touko could say anything else, Yumi held up her hand.

"Listen Touko. Love is the only real happiness you will ever find in this life. And if you let something like rejection stand in your way then I have lost all respect for you. If you feel that way then people will walk over you for the rest of your life." Yumi said. Touko looked down.

"But…she hates me now." Touko tried to reason.

"Did she tell you that? Did you hear her say that she hates you and is cutting all ties from you?" Yumi asked. Touko froze.

"No…" Touko said. Yumi smiled.

"It's not like you to give up at such a crucial stage Touko-chan. What do you do when you slip up during a play?" Yumi asked. Touko looked at her.

"You take it in stride and keep going." Touko said. Yumi nodded and started to take off her rosary.

"And I'll be right there with you…" Yumi said while holding the rosary Sachiko gave her.

"What?" Touko asked.

"I want to be there for you in the good and the bad. And I want you to be there for me as well…Will you become my Petit Soeur Touko-chan?" Yumi asked. Yumi wasn't sure what happened next but she saw Touko's eyes glaze over and lowered her head.

"My…How kind of you Rosa Chinensis…" Touko said sarcastically.

"Touko-chan?" Yumi called out. Touko suddenly shot her a tearful glare.

"Is THAT how you wanted me to react?! The last thing I want from ANYONE is pity! I've had enough of that form my 'parents'!" Touko yelled. She thought that Yumi was asking her to be her Petit Soeur because she felt sorry for her. Due to Touko's detached relationship with her parents, she started to treat all gestures that she deemed as 'pity' or 'handouts' as hostile. Yumi hadn't thought that Touko's psychological wound was that deep.

"But…I don't…I mean, Touko-chan…I…" Yumi's former commanding demeanor evaporated almost instantaneously.

"GET OUT!" Touko yelled.

"Touko-ch--"

"GET OUT NOW!!" Touko yelled at the top of her voice, literally coughing because of it. Yumi held her rosary tightly in her chest and exited Touko's room.

_They're all the same…they SAY that they know you. They SAY that they care about you. They SAY that they will be there for you. But it's all just pity! It's ALWAYS just pity! None of it is real!_

...

Back to the present…

Touko got up from her bed. She had a dead expression to her. Her eyes were devoid of happiness, of sadness, of emotion, of life…

She exited her room, not even bothering to fix herself up. One of the butlers saw her and ran to her immediately.

"Touko-sama! What's wrong?" The butler asked. He was the oldest servant that Touko knew. He had been the one who raised her since she was a toddler. He was the only person that has Touko's unconditional trust.

"Prepare breakfast and my uniform Hayakawa. I'm going to school today." Touko said in an impassive voice. Hayakawa had known Touko all his life and knew immediately something was wrong.

"Touko-sama…" Hayakawa saw Touko's eyes and his heart sank. He bowed to her.

"As you wish milady." He said before going off.

_I'm sorry milady…I wish I could help you…_ The old man thought.

...

Kanako was praying at the mary statue before going to class when she noticed something…footsteps. She turned to see who it was.

"Touko-san!" She called out with a large smile. The smile soon faded when she saw Touko's expression. It was blank. Kanako had always seen Touko with SOMEKIND of expression. Whether she was smiling, pouting, or scowling. But this, this was something she had never seen before, something that scared her. And very few things scare Hosokawa Kanako in Lilian.

"Touko-san." She said as she approached her friend. Touko looked up to her. Her eyes were void of any emotion.

"Stand aside…" Touko finally said with a bitter voice. Kanako was caught by surprise.

"Wh—what?" Kanako asked, a drop of sweat trailed down her cheek.

"I said…stand aside…are you deaf?" Touko said with the same voice. Kanako did what Touko asked and stepped away. Touko walked passed her and didn't look back.

_What…happened to her?_ Kanako thought. Her heart starting to ache.

...

Oooh...Angst! The next chapter will be the final one so look forward to it! Please R&R in the meantime...


	18. Finale

This is it! The final chapter! Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything on this fic that can be used against me in a court of law.**

**...**

Touko had closed her heart. She had come close to doing so before when she was a child. When her parents barely took any notice to her, when Sachiko went to study in Lilian, when her fellow students started to ostracize her for being talented in acting. But she had always bounced back. She had always managed to outlast the feeling of despair and smile anew. But this was different. Too many things went wrong too quickly. Her heart just couldn't bare the stress anymore and it simply locked-down to preserve whatever feelings she might have left. Unfortunately, because of her emotional lock-down, she was pretty much a walking EMO wave generator.

"Touko-san…" Kanako whispered as she glanced at Touko during class. Their class immediately could tell that something was wrong the second that Touko got in the room this morning and DIDN'T SAY A WORD. Naturally, being teenage highschool girls, her classmates immediately started whispering among themselves and making their own versions of 'What happened to Touko THIS TIME?' Noriko was also thinking of how Touko came to be like this.

_Was it that deep?_ Noriko thought. Kanako had spoken to Noriko about what happened a few days prior to Touko's 'return' and the tall girl had learned about how Touko's feelings for her changed.

...

A couple of days ago, in front of The Small Chapel a.k.a. 'Plot Central'….

"What happened between you two this time?" Noriko asked Kanako with a straight face. Kanako hesitated to answer.

"Touko-san told me that she was making her move on Valentines Day but I didn't expect that this would be the result…" Noriko admitted. Kanako gave a surprised look at her friend.

"You…Knew about Touko-san's feelings for me?" Kanako asked. Noriko nodded.

"Why? Why didn't you say anything to me?" Kanako wanted to know why one of the few people she considered as a friend kept her in the dark about something as important as this. Noriko sighed.

"I didn't say anything because this was something between the two of you. And I know how much you hate people who don't mind their own business. I really didn't do anything significant either. I just helped Touko-san realize her feelings for you and the rest was all her" Noriko said in her usual calm tone. Kanako looked away and winced.

"If it was between the two of us then why was I kept in the dark until the last moment?" Kanako asked to no one in particular. Noriko tilted her head.

"Don't you have ANY short term memory at all?" Noriko finally broke her cool exterior and sounded annoyed at Kanako.

"What are you talking about?" Kanako countered, not backing down even if it WAS Noriko. The two friends stared each other down for a few moments.

"If I'm note mistaken, the two of you used to be at each other's throats less that five months ago correct?! If Touko-san had told you her feelings during that time then how do you think you would react?!" Noriko narrowed her eyes when she finished. She was really getting tired of being the go-between for these two but she couldn't just abandon her friends like that either. Neither Kanako nor Touko realize how hard this was for their mutual friend. Kanako couldn't counter Noriko's words. She knew that she was right.

"Dwelling in the past won't solve our current dilemma either. Tell me, do you hate Touko-san or not?" Noriko decided to be direct. Kanako shook her head.

"Do you only see her as a friend then?" Noriko went for the kill. Kanako flinched at her question but remained silent. She subconsciously stroked her ring with her index finger. Noriko saw this and she got her answer.

_I guess I can't be the first one to know then…sorry about that Kanako-san._ Noriko thought to herself and gave a faint smile. Kanako was still looking away, touching her ring.

_First I had to help Touko-san and now it looks like Kanako-san needs some help. I should start charging for all the work I do for these two._ Noriko sarcastically thought.

...

Back to the present…

"This is quite the hole you dug for yourself Yumi." Sachiko told her soeur. Yumi had her head hung extra low.

"I'm sorry Onee-sama…I just wanted to help. I didn't know that it would turn out like this." Yumi said while poking her lunch with her chopstick. Sachiko sighed.

"This is certainly not the way I want to leave the Yamayurikai. I hate leaving loose ends behind." Sachiko said. Yumi raised her head.

"I'm sorry…" Yumi apologized again. Sachiko suddenly slammed her hands on the table giving Yumi quite a scare.

"Onee-sama?" Yumi called to Sachiko.

"Get a hold of yourself Yumi! You're Rosa Chinensis! One of the Yamayurikai! You can't allow yourself to just curl up and cry in the corner!" Sachiko yelled.

"Yes…Onee-sama…" Yumi said.

...

Kanako now found herself in a situation that her counterpart had experienced a few months ago. She had wanted to make things right with Touko, she had wanted to answer Touko's feelings. But the fact that Touko had seemingly shut down emotionally will make Kanako's reconciliation a bit more challenging to say the least. How would she approach Touko? Will Touko respond to her? What if she is too far gone for Kanako's feelings to reach her? What if—

"Hosokawa-san? Hosokawa-san?" The teacher called to her.

"Huh?...Yes?" Kanako looked at the teacher with a puzzled look.

"Hmmm…It's quite unusual to see you spacing out in class like that Hosokawa-san." The teacher said. Kanako bowed.

"I'm very sorry for that ma'am." Kanako said.

"Nevermind. It's your turn to read the next passage." The teacher said, getting back into the rhythm of the lesson.

"Yes ma'am." Kanako responded. She gave a glance towards Touko and saw the girl with her still expressionless face.

_Touko-san…_

...

Classes ended and Touko fixed her things in an almost mechanical method and made her way to the exit. Kanako saw this and quickly went after Touko, grabbing her arm just before she got out of the classroom. Touko looked at her arm, then towards Kanako. She stared down the tall girl with her dead eyes.

"Let go…" Touko flatly said. The words and the way she said it hurt Kanako's heart but she didn't want to give up so easily.

"Touko-san…We need to ta--" Kanako managed to say before Touko ripped her arm away from Kanako's grasp and turned to face the tall girl.

"Don't you dare call me by my name…" Touko said, squinting at Kanako. She walked away after that and left Kanako in shock of what she just did.

...

Touko walked methodically towards the main gate. She lacked her usual confident swagger and was replaced with a droning similar to that of a salary man who was working the same job for too long. She didn't even slow down when she passed the Mary Statue. Her odd behavior earned her a healthy share of stares and whispering from the student body that had seen her. As she walked out of the gate, she bumped into someone and staggered back but maintained her balance.

"Oh! Sorry about that." A cheerful if not slightly masculine female voice said to her. Touko looked up and saw the source. The former Rosa Gigantea: Satou Sei. She was with her sidekick and convenient source of laughs: Katou Kei.

"Oh hey there! You're that drill-girl…ummm…What was your name again?" Sei said while trying to remember Touko's name.

"Drill-girl?" Kei questioned her friend.

"Yeah! Look at her pigtails and tell me those aren't drills! When I first saw her, I thought it was Yumi with a different hairstyle." Sei said. Kei inspected Touko and nodded.

"Hmmm…Aside from her expression, I would agree with you." Kei said turning to Sei.

"Expression?" Sei asked and looked at Touko. She saw Touko's expression and nearly gasped. She had caught herself but still staggered back about half a step.

"Sei?" Kei wondered about Sei's sudden change.

"Oh…hahaha! It's nothing." Sei tried to shake it off. She turned to Touko who still looked at them with those dead eyes.

"Umm…sorry for running into you like that." Sei apologized. Kei was amazed that Satou Sei actually knew how to do that. They were both surprised to see Touko walk off in the other direction after Sei's apology.

"Looks like she was just waiting for you to apologize. What was all that about anyway? I've never seen you stagger like that." Kei asked her friend who had a grim face.

"Sei?"

"That girl…What the hell happened to her?" Sei cursed under her breath. She knew about Touko. She had seen her perform during the School Festival; she saw how happy the girl was when she was announced to be the one who found Yumi's card during Valentine's Day. So what made such a seemingly energetic and happy girl turn out like that? Sei sighed as she already knew the answer to her own question.

"What do you mean? Do you know something about why her expression was like that?" Kei asked.

"Yeah…I do. Because I had that look a long time ago…Because of something really painful that happened to me before…"

_Because of Kubo Shiori…_

_Don't tell me that girl…Dammit!_ It was at that moment that Sei understood the phrase 'The more things change, the more they stay the same.' She cursed the fact that someone else was going through something similar to what she herself had experienced.

_The Virgin Mary sure has a pretty sick sense of humor…_ Sei bitterly thought.

...

Touko arrived home and went straight to her room. Hayakawa saw her young mistress briskly walk upstairs and heard the slam of her door. The old butler sighed and looked around to see some of the servants with worried looks. They all cared greatly for Touko. Most of the older servants practically raised Touko since she was a toddler. To see her the way she is now is disheartening for them. It wasn't pity at all…they truly loved Touko. But in Touko's current state, she probably won't realize that.

"All we can do now is pray that she will have the strength to get through this." Hayakawa said. The other servants understood what he was saying but it didn't really help their spirits. They were all loyal to Touko but they were all still just servants to the Matsudaira clan. It was certainly a gloomy day in the Mansion.

...

"I don't know what to do anymore…" Kanako isn't really helping the overall levels of angst in this chapter either as she sulked beside Noriko in the Rose Mansion. She was at wits end and decided to seek help from the Yamayurikai directly. Lucky for her that everyone was there and their workload was non-existent at the moment.

"Where have I heard that line before…" Noriko said sarcastically. She was all in support in helping her two friends make up and end this deadly spiral of depression before anyone else gets infected.

"Now, now Noriko-chan." Shimako tried to calm down her Soeur. Kanako had explained to them what happened and Noriko and Yumi filled in some of the blanks for Touko's end of the story.

"Wow…this story would probably become one heck of a drama in TV." Yoshino said, earning her a look from Rei. Sachiko quickly took control of the situation just by clearing her throat (What authority!). Everyone looked at the queen…er…the soon to be former-Rosa Chinensis.

"I appreciate the fact that you personally came here to address the situation with Touko-chan. She is, afterall, a precious cousin of mine and I don't want to see her acting like that." Sachiko said…or declared from the tone she used. The queen didn't like it when things went out of hand especially when it was on her watch and even more so when it concerned a family member of hers.

"Umm…Thank you Sachiko-sama." Kanako bowed. Even after all this time, she was still intimidated at the sheer aura of authority that Sachiko commanded.

"So…what's the plan? We can't exactly just lock those two in a room and wait for them to work things out now can we?" Rei said. Yoshino raised a brow.

"Who says we can't? It's a proven method." Yoshino countered.

"This isn't a drama Yoshino-san." Yumi reasoned.

"The situation is already too sensitive to begin with. Your idea might make things worse." Rei told her cousin.

"First of all, it was YOUR idea. Secondly, I'm amazed at how calm you all are about this. Its two girls who are inlove with each other for goodness sake! I'd imagine that something like that deserves at least a gasp from Shimako-san!" Yoshino said and pointed at a bewildered Shimako. The Wisteria Maiden pointed at herself.

"Me? Why should I gasp about this? It's not like they are doing anything wrong." Shimako calmly said. Yoshino was absolutely dumbfounded to know that she was the only one in the room that thinks that a relationship between two girls is unusual. She simply facepalmed and stayed quiet.

"Now that that is out the way, what should we do about Touko-chan?" Yumi asked the very obvious question. Obvious or not, everyone remained silent due to the lack of ideas. After a while, Shimako's face lit up. She turned to Kanako who was still thinking.

"Kanako-san. Touko-san gave you Chocolates on Valentine's Day correct?" Shimako asked the tall girl.

"Yes…she did." Kanako replied.

"Where are you going with this Shimako-san?" Yoshino asked. Shimako noticed the smile on Noriko's lips. Damn she's fast!

"I see Noriko-san already figured it out." Shimako proudly said. The all looked at Noriko who smiled a bit more.

"Figured out what?!" Yoshino was getting tired of the White Roses' cryptic messages.

"When you accept chocolates on Valentine's Day. What should you do to show your appreciation?" With Shimako's words, everyone suddenly got a sudden surge of enlightenment. Well, everyone except…

"Say Thank You?" Yumi said. Now is not the time to be thick Yumi…

"What?! No!" Yoshino quickly shot down Yumi's answer with extreme prejudice. Noriko decided to fill Yumi in.

"You reciprocate the one who gave you chocolates on White Day: March 14th." Noriko said. Yumi finally joined the enlightened group.

"Nice plan and all…but it won't exactly be easy you know." Yoshino said. It was kind of depressing but they knew it to be true.

"Nor should it be…" Sachiko finally said. Everyone immediately looked at the queen.

"Onee-sama?" Yumi wanted to know what the hell Sachiko was talking about. Everyone else seemed to be in the same boat.

"Love is never easy. You will always have something blocking your happiness, even more-so in Touko-chan and Kanako-chan's situation. But that will test just how far you are willing to go to be with the person you love. No one said it will be easy, but it IS simple." Sachiko said in her usual commanding tone. Everyone except Rei gulped at Sachiko's sheer awesomeness. Rei was already used to Sachiko's sudden outbursts by now. Everyone's morale suddenly got a significant boost from Sachiko's speech.

"That's right Kanako-chan! Touko-chan told you her feelings and I'm sure that those feelings are still there!" Yumi encouraged Kanako. The tall girl nodded and had a sudden rise in confidence.

"That's right. All you have to do is figure out how to break through Touko-san's wall and draw those feelings back out." Noriko said.

"That's where Shimako-san's plan comes in I guess." Yoshino added.

"Chocolates huh? Do you know how to make them Kanako-san?" Rei asked Kanako.

"Umm…No, I'm afraid that I don't." Kanako's morale started to fall again but…

"That's just a minor detail! Rei-chan!" Yoshino called out to her Pokémon…err…Onee-sama. Rei looked at Yoshino with a tired look. She knows where this is headed.

"Teach Kanako-san how to make the best possible chocolates for Touko-san!" Yoshino commandingly told Rei while pointing to her ala Phoenix Wright. Rei mearly sighed.

"Like anyone else can…" Rei said while giving Kanako a gentle smile. Kanako bowed to Rei.

"Thank you Rei-sama." The tall girl said. Sachiko stood from her chair and got everyone's attention again.

"I will make pre-emptive strikes while waiting for March 14 to arrive." Commander Ogasawara declared.

"Pre-emptive?" Yumi started.

"Strikes?" Yoshino ended. Sachiko nodded.

"I will take time to talk to Touko-chan during weekends and try to soften up or, in the best case, demolish the walls altogether. This will ensure the highest chance for Kanako-chan to succeed." Sachiko said. Again, her awesomeness washes over the girls in the room.

"Okay then! Let's go over this one last time!" Yoshino declared. Everyone nodded.

"I will teach Kanako-san how to make the best possible chocolates before White Day." Rei said.

"While that is happening, I will try to whittle down Touko-chan's defences." Sachiko added.

"And on white day…" Shimako continued.

"The rest will be up to Kanako-chan's resolve." Yumi ended. Kanako gulped at the last part. Noriko placed her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Don't worry…You won't be alone on this. We'll all be there praying for your success." Noriko said.

"Noriko-san…" Kanako was touched by Noriko's words.

"That's right! You have the Yamayurikai on your side! The Virgin Mary has no choice but to listen to our combined prayers!" Yoshino said, pumping her fist in the air.

"Everyone…" Kanako just managed to digest the idea that all these people wanted to help her so much. She was very happy right now. Yumi held Kanako's hand.

"Bring back Touko-chan…alright?" Yumi said. Kanako nodded.

"Of course, Yumi-sama."

...

Sunday, 2 weeks before White Day and Sachiko is at the Matsudaira Mansion's den.

_So, I only have 2 chances to weaken Touko-chan's walls. I have to make it count!_ Sachiko steeled herself. We already know how much she hates losing so…

"This way Touko-sama." Sachiko heard Hayakawa lead Touko into the den. Sachiko saw Touko wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts. Her expression was still impassive. Sachiko understood the challenge that faced her.

"Sachiko Onee-sama…Gokigenyo…" Touko greeted Sachiko. It was more for formality than anything else and Sachiko knew it. She had her work cut out for her.

...

Meanwhile, In the Hasekura household…

"It's good to see you Kanako-san." Rei greeted Kanako when she opened the door.

"Gokigenyo, Rei-sama." Kanako greeted.

"Please, come in." Rei ushered in the tall girl.

"Do you have trouble finding your way here?" Rei asked.

"Not at all. Your house is quite close to Lilian so I didn't have to ask for directions." Kanako replied. When she got to the living room, she was greeted by Rei's mother.

"Oh dear…what a lovely girl." Rei's mother said. Kanako blushed a bit.

"Gokigenyo Hasekura-sama." Kanako greeted.

"And she has excellent manners as well." Rei's mother said.

"Mom…you're embarrassing her." Rei tried to save Kanako the trouble.

"Oh yes…You two have something you need to work on in the kitchen right? The ingredients you asked for are already prepared." Rei's mom said before going upstairs. Rei turned to Kanako.

"Sorry about that…" Rei apologized.

"Not at all, your mother is a very kind person." Kanako said.

"Thanks. Let's get started then shall we?" Rei said walking into the kitchen.

"About time you two got here…" Yoshino said in an annoyed tone.

"Yoshino? When did you sneak in?!" Rei asked her cousin.

"While your mom was commenting on how lovely Kanako-san is." Yoshino replied.

"And you are here because?" Rei didn't want to have to deal with Yoshino right now.

"Don't worry. I'm not here for you. I'm here to help out Kanako-san on making her chocolates." Yoshino said.

"That makes me even more worried…" Rei mused.

"Rei-chan no baka!" Yoshino yelled as she threw a dish rag at Rei.

_I wonder if this will be okay…_ Kanako thought to herself.

...

"And to what do I owe this honor Sachiko Onee-sama?" Touko asked Sachiko with a slightly defiant tone. Sachiko simply brushed off Touko's meager hostile action and stood.

"I simply wish to greet my dear cousin. Is that not allowed?" Sachiko replied. Touko bowed.

"No, of course not. Forgive my earlier rudeness Sachiko Onee-sama." Touko apologized. She turned to Hayakawa.

"Prepare some refreshments for me and Sachiko Onee-sama." Touko ordered. Sachiko noted that this was the first time she talked to Hayakawa in a commanding tone. She used to request things from Hayakawa but in a gentler and caring tone.

"At once Touko-sama." Hayakawa replied, ever the professional. He was actually relieved to see Sachiko visit Touko. He knew that he can trust Sachiko to make things better. He then left to get said refreshments.

"Please, sit." Touko motioned Sachiko to one of the couches and sat next t her. Despite her current emotional state, Touko still maintained her poise around Sachiko. Her most admired cousin is someone who Touko NEVER wants to lose face in front of.

"Thank you. How are you Touko-chan? We haven't gotten the chance to talk much in the past few weeks." Sachiko began her part of the plan. She started to poke around Touko's defenses.

"I'm fine Sachiko Onee-sama. I'm just slightly exhausted with a few things that happened recently." Touko replied.

"I heard…" Sachiko prepared her first strike. Touko nodded.

"Congratulations on finding Yumi's card by the way." Sachiko tested Touko if she still harbored ill will towards Yumi. Touko winced at the mention of Yumi's name.

"Yes…Thank you Sachiko Onee-sama. It was not big deal." Touko tried her best not to look distressed but Sachiko has been playing this kind of game a little longer thank Touko has. Sachiko noted Touko's responses and saw that it was still too early to launch a direct strike on Touko. After Hayakawa returned with the refreshments, Sachiko engaged Touko is some small talk and minor inquiries like her school life and such. Sachiko never mentioned Kanako's name even once during the exchange.

"Thank you for having me today Touko-chan." Sachiko said as she exited the Mansion.

"It was a pleasure having you Sachiko Onee-sama." Touko replied.

"Yes well, I think I'll come back again soon. I nearly forgot how fun it was conversing with you." Sachiko said in a last second attempt to get some sort of emotional response from Touko and to let her know that she'll be back. Her gamble paid off as Touko smiled at her words and she saw some life in Touko's eyes.

"Of course. You are always welcome her Sachiko Onee-sama." Touko said. They said their goodbyes and Sachiko got in the Benz that she came in with.

_I can do this. I can get some life out of Touko-chan. Just make sure you make it count Kanako-chan. _Sachiko thought as the Benz pulled out of the premises.

...

The next few days were somewhat stressful to Kanako. Sachiko never told her that she managed to get a smile off of Touko because she reasoned that it might make Kanako let her guard down and screw up the whole thing. That really didn't really help Kanako during those next few days though.

Rei's end of the operation had hit a few snags due to some 'unintentional interference' by Yoshino. Kanako managed to get a basic grasp of what she was supposed to make. It was a slightly large; heart shaped chocolate confection compromising of no less than four different types of melted chocolates. The candy itself is about the size of saucer used to hold tea cups. It is also supposed to have some designs carved into it but, due to the aforementioned 'unintentional interference', there was just not enough time to do that. Rei told Kanako that they would make the final product in the coming Sunday. The prototype chocolate that she made was a bit too bitter, something to do about the ratio of the different chocolates that comprise the confection.

_I'll get it right…I have to…I want to._ Kanako thought as she glanced at Touko during class.

...

Yumi had the easiest part of the whole operation. All she had to do was to avoid Touko like the plague. Of course, Yumi really didn't like the idea at all.

"Why do I have to stay away from Touko-chan?" Yumi asked Sachiko. The queen told Yumi to do that after their brainstorming session in the Rose Mansion.

"Because we need as few negative stimuli to Touko-chan as possible." Sachiko replied.

"Negative?!" Yumi protested.

"Yes. You are currently a bigger volatile factor than Kanako because you didn't have the good sense to time your proposal to her to become your soeur." Sachiko replied coolly.

"But…I was just trying to help." Yumi reasoned. Sachiko approached her soeur and placed her hands on Yumi's shoulders.

"I know. You always try to help. And this is how you CAN in this situation." Sachiko said.

"Onee-sama…"

"Don't worry. After Kanako-chan brings back Touko-chan. You'll have your chance again." Sachiko said reassuringly.

"Yes…Onee-sama." Yumi said smiling.

...

Sachiko was back in the Matsudaira Mansion and Kanako was trying to perfect her chocolate confection. It was only a few days until White Day and this is officially crunch time.

"It's nice to see you again Sachiko Onee-sama." Touko said with a smile.

"It's nice to see you as well Touko-chan." Sachiko replied.

"Hayakawa, refreshments please." Touko said.

"At once Touko-sama." Hayakawa noticed in the past week that Touko got some of her old vigor again. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Hayakawa looked forward to Sachiko's visit because he knew that Sachiko could greatly weaken the walls that Touko put up around her heart.

"How are you today Touko-chan?" Sachiko started out with some standard talk.

"I'm fine Sachiko Onee-sama. And you?" Touko responded.

"I'm doing fine as well. Although I have to admit something Touko-chan." Sachiko began her bid to weaken Touko's walls.

"And what might that be?" Touko asked. Sachiko was about to respond when Hayakawa came back with some munchies.

"Thank you Hayakawa." Touko said.

"Of course Touko-sama." Hayakawa said before leaving.

"You were saying Sachiko Onee-sama?" Touko re-focused on Sachiko.

"Yes…well, I've noticed a slight change in your attitude as of late." Sachiko said.

"Change?" Touko asked.

"Yes. Your formerly cheerful self has been replaced with…this." Sachiko motioned to Touko.

"And you are here because of that?" Touko once again asked.

"Truth be told. Yes. I'm worried about you Touko-chan. That should be very obvious to you." Sachiko said with a genuine tone of concern.

"So…you feel…sorry for me? Pity me?" Touko asked. Touko knew that, depending on Sachiko's answer, she may even have to cut her ties to the queen as well. Touko didn't want that to happen but she WILL do that if it comes down to it. Sachiko knew that as well and knew exactly what to reply.

"Pity? Goodness Touko-chan. You of all people should know that I do not pity ANYONE. If there is someone who experiencing misfortunes, then I expect them to rise above it by their own means and not to simply rely on handouts. Please don't confuse my worry for you with something as trifle as pity. It is quite insulting." Sachiko said coolly and once again proving her awesomeness. Touko was blindsided by Sachiko's response and didn't know what to say. Sachiko had called her out and rendered her anti-pity sentiment completely worthless.

"I…I'm s-sorry Sachiko Onee-sama. P-please forgive my rudeness." Touko apologized. She should know better than to mess with the queen. Sachiko moved closer to Touko and held her hand.

"Now…Tell Sachiko Onee-sama what's wrong." Sachiko implored. She had Touko right where she wants her.

"Sachiko Onee-sama…" Touko said before tearing up and clinging onto her cousin.

_The rest is up to you Kanako-chan._ Sachiko thought while silently praying for Kanako's success.

...

Speaking of Kanako…

"Well? Is it done yet?" Yoshino asked. Yes, she was there again much to the annoyance of Rei. Kanako didn't really mind Yoshino's presence since she has other things to worry about.

"We would have been done a long time ago if it wasn't for a certain someone." Rei told Yoshino which earned her a pout. Before Yoshino managed to do another 'Rei-chan no baka', they heard the distinctive ping of the oven signifying the end of the baking process. Rei took out the tray which held two identical confections. This was because one of the chocolates was for taste testing. Since the two were made identically, it can be reasoned that the result of the taste test confection is also identical to the other. Kanako then started to carve out the design she wanted to put on the other confection. It was simple but it was what Kanako wanted the most so neither Yellow rose protested.

"We'll just leave these to cool for an hour." Rei said after Kanako finished carving out her design. She put the tray that held the chocolates on the counter.

"Finally! So…how are we going to kill sixty minutes?" Yoshino asked.

"We can start by cleaning this place up." Rei responded and motioned to the kitchen.

"Aww…" Yoshino protested.

"I will help." Kanako said. The two girls looked at the first year.

"No need for that Kanako-san. You must be tired from all that." Rei said.

"Yeah. You should leave cleanup to Rei-chan." Yoshino added.

"You'll help me you know!" Rei said.

"Do I have to?!" Yoshino replied.

"Yes…since most of this is your fault." Rei countered.

"Fine…" Yoshino finally gave in.

"It's fine. I want to help you clean up. It's the least I can do for all your help." Kanako said.

"Okay, but if you really want to thank us then make sure you do your part properly." Rei said.

"That's right. Show Touko-chan how stupid she was to close up her heart like that." Yoshino added.

...

White Day…

_Touko-chan, could you please meet me in front of the small chapel after school. I need to talk to you about something._

Sachiko told that to Touko after they 'ran into each other' this morning. Touko had managed to open up to Sachiko about all that had happened to her and she got some of the hurt out of her chest which made Sachiko very happy. Touko started to become more cheerful since then but Sachiko knew that the issue between her and Kanako still needed closure. Afterall, Kanako never gave Touko a proper reply. Which brings us back to 'Plot Central', the small chapel…

_Where is Sachiko Onee-sama? She's never late._ Touko wondered before she heard footsteps. She turned to see who it was and was greeted by the sight of the girl that broke her heart a month ago.

"Touko-san…" Kanako said. Her hands were behind her back.

"I told you not to call me that." Touko said with venom in her words.

"Please…" Kanako pleaded and showed Touko what she had in her hands. The chocolate, it was inside a blue box.

"What is that?" Touko asked, still having her full guard up.

"It's my response to the chocolates that you gave me before." Kanako said. Touko backed away a bit.

"What the hell is this? Did Sachiko Onee-sama set me up?!" Touko Demanded.

"She didn't. I did." Kanako said.

"How dare yo--" Touko said before…

"PLEASE! Just…hear me out…please…" Kanako pleaded. Touko remained silent but did not move.

"I…I was confused when you told me about…about your feelings…" Kanako began. Touko's heart started to beat faster.

_No! This is a trick!_ She tried to reason. Kanako stepped closer to her without her knowing it.

"Please…take it." Kanako handed Touko the confection. Touko was cought by surprise by Kanako and panicked. She instinctively slapped away the box and it fell to the ground. The box opened up and revealed the heart shaped confection. It lay on the walkway, slightly broken up but Touko still managed to make out what Kanako had carved into the chocolate: Five simple words…

_I feel the same way_

Touko shook her head when she read that and started to back away. Kanako momentarily froze when Touko slapped away the chocolate and, when she finally managed to get back her senses, she saw Touko turning away from her and starting to move away. Kanako reacted without really thinking of what she did.

Touko felt Kanako warmth on her back as the tall girl wrapped her arms around her.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry it took this long…" Kanako said while holding onto Touko. The drill-haired girl's brain froze at the sudden turn of events. But something managed to snap her back to reality.

_I love you too…_

Touko felt Kanako's grip loosen. Touko turned to Kanako with bewildered eyes and a strong blush on her face. She saw that Kanako had tears in her eyes and matched her own blush.

"You…You're serious?" Touko finally manage to ask. Kanako smiled.

"Yes…"

Touko saw Kanako's smile. It was the smile she had yearned for, a smile that was reserved just for her. Touko thought that it was even more beautiful that the smile that Kanako gives Yumi. It was then that she knew…

"You idiot…" Touko said with tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Yes…I know…" Kanako replied. Touko looked at the chocolate confection on the walkway.

"And I ruined the chocolate too…" Touko said.

"Don't worry…" Kanako moved closer to Touko.

"I'll make as many as you want from now on…" Kanako finished.

The two of them then shared their first kiss.

...

Huzzah! We got a happy ending! But wait! We still have a loose end. Yumi still want's to make Touko her petit soeur! How will this play out? Find out when I catch up to this on 'My Red Rosebud'!

Thanks for those who stuck on reading this all the way to the end. It was really fun to write it and I hope you enjoyed the ending! Please R&R…


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